State of the Union: Live Blog

10:16 p.m.

And that's a wrap. For the record, here are all of the segments of the speech I could find that addressed government operations, new entities, management reforms, etc:

"I'm announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders."

"I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people ... have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need."

"My administration has put more boots on the border than ever before."

"I'm proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history - with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year."

"In the next few weeks, I will sign an executive order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home."

"I've ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don't make sense. We've already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill - because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk. I'm confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder."

"We will also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people's investments."

"I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days."

"The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it's inefficient, outdated and remote. That's why I've asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people. "

"I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more."

"Even my Republican friends who complain the most about Government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home. The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress."

"Working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing danger of cyber threats."

"Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. That includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned - which is why we've increased annual VA spending every year I've been president. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our nation."

"With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I'm proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her."

10:11 p.m.

A quick reference to Defense cuts, amidst all the praise for the military's achievements: "Working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget." (Note the "working with military leaders" part. Obama wants to make sure everybody knows they signed off on this.)

10:05 p.m.

Even Republicans, Obama jibes, "want federal offices for the folks back home. ... We should all want a smarter, more effective government."

10:02 p.m.

And there's the expected pitch for reorganization authority: "The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it's inefficient, outdated and remote. That's why I've asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people."

10:01 p.m.

First reference to public service: "I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days."

9:59 p.m.

President Obama has visited a couple of different agencies recently, and has gone out of his way to praise federal employees. But not tonight.

9:52 p.m.

Another new federal entity: "a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people's investments." Also, "I am asking my attorney general to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis."

9:50 p.m.

On regulatory reform: "We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill - because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk. I'm confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder." The joke was literally greeted with groans.

9:47 p.m.

First reference to red tape: "In the next few weeks, I will sign an executive order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects." Every president's gotta be a bureaucracy-buster, right?

9:38 p.m.

On border enforcement: "My administration has put more boots on the border than ever before."

There are already a lot of calls for very energetic government in this speech: trade enforcement unit, job training, border security. And there's more to come.

9:28 p.m.

First new government entity mentioned in the speech: "a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China." Quickly followed by first management initiative: "I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people ... have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need."

9:19 p.m.

"The state of our union is getting stronger...I intend to fight obstruction with action."

9:16 p.m.

Here are some themes that are coming, according to an advance draft of the speech sent out by the White House: reorganization, "smarter government," regulatory reform, streamlined nominations, veterans' hiring, new defense strategy.

9:11 p.m.

And...we're under way.

8:39 p.m.

It's clear that "outsourcing" will be one of the themes in the address, but feds shouldn't get too overly excited -- or concerned. It appears Obama is talking about sending American jobs overseas, not contracting out government work.

8:29 p.m.

Ed O'Keefe of the Washington Post is reporting, via Twitter, that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is the designated Cabinet official who will stay away from tonight's address, just in case a worst-case scenario unfolds.

6:20 p.m.

I'll be watching the State of the Union address tonight, and sharing some thoughts in this space. In the meantime, here are some exceprts from the prepared text of the speech, just released by the White House:

"Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we're in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren't so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded. "

"....The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What's at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them."

"As long as I'm President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last - an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values."

"Let's never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that do the same. It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody."