From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Public speaking and public policy.

Hello again, I'm Norman Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

President Obama delivered a

stem winder to last night's joint session of Congress long on oratory, but short on details.

He painted a grim picture of America's economic crisis and predicted hard times, but in contrast

to recent speeches, he insisted that recovery is a certainty. He explained why he wants to give banks more taxpayer money

and outlined ambitious plans for health care

and alternative energy and education.

On To the Point, did he strike the right note of optimism in perilous times?

What did Governor Bobby Jindal say on behalf of Republicans?

On reporter's notebook later on, will the District of Columbia get a vote in the Congress?

First, here's the news. Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from

the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation,

the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation and its campaign for

American workers. More at rockfound.org. Hello again. Mormon, I'm only back with To the Point.

After weeks of grim predictions of hard times to come, President Obama tried to lift the mood of the nation in last night's address to a joint session of Congress.

We'll hear what he said, how he said it, and how Governor Bobby Jindal responded for the Republicans. On reporter's notebook, Senate debate today on a

question that's more than 200 years old should Washington, D.C. get a vote in the Congress.

First, this news update. An announcement on troop withdrawal from Iraq 19 months from now

may come on Friday. That's from Vice President Joe Biden talking to Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show.

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