Obama delivers his first State of the Union address

(News Terupdate) - 9:29 Obama urges the Senate follow the House's lead and pass a jobs bill, saying, "I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay"

9:28 Obama says workers in Tampa, Florida, will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act

9:27 On stimulating the economy: "I'm proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I am also proposing a new small business tax credit -- one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages. While we're at it, let's also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment; and provide a tax incentive for all businesses, large and small, to invest in new plants and equipment."

9:23 Obama credits the creation of 2 million jobs with steps his administration has taken toward economic recovery, adding, "We are on track to add another one and a half million jobs to this total by the end of the year"

9:20 Always some good theater at these events. Obama talks about the taxes he has cut. No Republican stands to clap, and the president calls them out, "I thoought I'd get some applause on that one"

9:18 Obama says the bank bailout "was about as popular as a root canal"

9:16 Obama draws first applause after he says he has "never been more hopeful about America's future" than tonight

9:13 On the economy, Obama says "the worst of the storm has passed"

9:12 Obama says America is being tested, but said "we must answer history's call," conjuring up memories of such times of struggle as the Civil War Battle of Bull Run, the storming of Omaha Beach in World War II and the stock market crash of the 1920s

9:11 Obama begins his State of the Union address

9:10 Vice President Joe Biden lets out a cheer as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomes Obama

9:08 Obama enters chamber, greets members of Congress, his Cabinet and Supreme Court justices

9:05 Wilson Livingood, the House Sergeant of Arms, introduces Obama

9:01 In holding room, Obama was talking with Sens. Lamar Alexander, John Cornyn and John Thune. He turned to the entire congressional welcoming committee and joked, "We just brokered a health care deal right here."

8:48 p.m. The president's speech is being written right up until the last moments, according to two White House aides, who say they have not seen a new draft since about noon today. An embargoed copy of the full speech was supposed to be released at 8:30 p.m., but there's no sign of it yet because of last-minute changes.

8:38 p.m. Obama en route to Capitol

8 p.m. CNN's Ed Henry reports:

Senior officials say the president's broad goal is to seize back the mantle of change by talking about the need for a "new beginning" between Democrats and Republicans that can restore trust in Washington.

Along these lines, the president will make what officials describe as a passing reference to the special election in Massachusetts but will not have a "chastened" tone like Bill Clinton after the 1994 election. Instead, officials say he will use the election defeat as a way to challenge Republicans to meet him halfway on the major issues facing the nation.

Officials say he will note that with Republicans now having 41 votes in the Senate, they can't just block everything.

The first test will come next week when the Senate is expected to begin debate on a jobs bill. The president will specifically try to sprinkle the jobs bill with small business and corporate tax cuts to win over some Republican votes and call their bluff if they do not come on board.

While jobs and the economy will make up the bulk of the speech, officials say health care will also figure prominently. But they note the president will not get too specific on the path forward because key lawmakers want to take a deep breath on the volatile issue while ramping up much more time on the jobs legislation.

Beyond jobs and health care, officials say the second tier of the agenda will focus on three primary issues:

-- Financial regulatory reform, which gives the president another chance to press Wall Street to change the rules of the road to prevent another crisis.

-- Climate change legislation, where the president will specifically cite the work of lawmakers in both parties trying to broker a compromise.

-- Education reform, where the president will push for an increase of up to $4 billion despite lean times for other key parts of his budget.

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