Obama takes big agenda to TV

WASHINGTON -- President Obama is billing his speech Tuesday night as "an address to Congress," but it will sound much like a typical State of the Union.

He's following a television-driven tradition in which new presidents use their first speech in the ornate House chamber to rally support for their ideas.

"New presidents like to present their agendas to the public and set priorities for policymakers," said Betty Koed, a historian with the U.S. Senate. "This is also an opportunity for them to look presidential."

Presidents generally wait a year to deliver the traditional State of the Union address, which takes months to prepare and contains proposals from various government departments. That speech typically reflects on the past year in office — something Obama really can't do after only a month in the White House.

Instead, Obama plans to discuss what he called "our urgent national priorities," including plans to create jobs, stem home foreclosures, revive financial institutions and improve health care.

"We have an extraordinary economic challenge, and people are looking to him to speak to that," said Obama senior adviser David Axelrod.

Obama joins predecessors Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as presidents who spoke before Congress in February. Those presidents also focused their speeches on the economy, with a list of new proposals.

"I guess you can call it an inaugural address with heft, filling in the details," said Stephen Hess, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution who worked in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations. "He's got a big program he's got to sell."

Obama, the 44th president, will be the 12th chief executive to speak in person to Congress within two months of inauguration — all but two presidents since World War II.

The U.S. Constitution states that presidents "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union." It doesn't specify what the content should be, how it's delivered or mandate how often a president should report.