Hotline After Dark -- Confessions Of A Spendaholic

"World News" led with Pres. Obama's address to Congress and featured a taped interview with WH sr. adviser David Axelrod. "Evening News" led with Obama's address and featured taped interviews with Axelrod and House Min. Leader John Boehner. "Nightly News" led with Obama's address and featured a taped interview with Axelrod.

The reviews of Pres. Obama's address to Congress and LA Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R) rebuttal are in:

Time's Halperin: "I think it's the youngest combined age of a president and the responder from the other party in the history of the United States. Two kids ... addressing the country. ... In the case of both of these guys, if they weren't confident and accomplished, I think being young would be seen as a handicap. In this, I think, for both of them, it shows younger people and older people a sense of action and a sense of newness that given all the promise the country has I think is a pretty positive development for both parties" (CBSNews.com, 2/24).

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields: "Barack Obama, according to polls, is more popular than his policies. He has concluded, obviously from this speech tonight, that political capital is not to be hoarded. It is to be spent. ... That was an ambitious, ambitious proposal" ("NewsHour," PBS, 2/24).

Sen. John Thune (R-SD): "He had been advised that he needs to change his tone and provide some hope and some inspiration for the American people, so in that respect, the speech tonight was good. It was well delivered, and I think he had a right tone and I think probably created some confidence in the American people. It's going to be very hard, however, to deliver on all the things he promised tonight. And he was very short on specifics and details" ("Hannity," FNC, 2/24).

Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "This was the most ambitious we have heard in this chamber in decades. The first half of the speech was FDR fighting for the New Deal. And the second half was Lyndon Johnson fighting for the Great Society. And we have never seen those two presidents rolled together in quite this way before" ("AC 360," CNN, 2/24).

More after the jump.

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WH press sec. Robert Gibbs, on whether there was a "conscious effort" by Obama to sound more upbeat: "I think what the president was trying to do tonight ... was to provide the American people with a sober and honest assessment of the great and many challenges that our country face, primarily economically, but to demonstrate to the American people that there is a path forward that will lead this country to brighter days. I think that's why it was a strong night for America, because they saw a leader in the president of the United States who understands those challenges but also understands the path forward. I think that's why it was such a command performance" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 2/24).

Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell: "The president gets an A plus for style and delivery. He did a great job delivering his message. But there legitimate differences. ... The Congress has spent more money than we spent on the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war, and the response to Katrina over the last seven years after 9/11. I mean, we have been on a spending spree, and isn't stopping" ("On the Record," FNC, 2/24).

New York Times' Brooks: "I thought it was an excellent speech. It's been a long time since I've really been able to rave over an Obama speech. ... I thought this was a speech which perfectly captured the tenor of the country, a country that is a little annoyed and a little angry ... at the banks and Wall Street. ... The central message was no more fooling around, and I think that was exactly the right tone to take. It wasn't over-the-top anger, but it was a general sense of a stern teacher" ("NewsHour," PBS, 2/24).

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), asked if Obama's speech convinced him to inch toward his policies: "Well, I am motivated, more than I was before the speech, to sit down, for example, tomorrow and work with the administration on health care reform. He makes a compelling case that we have to work together, reform health care in America because of the enormity of the impact that it has all of America, in every way. But when he says that there's no earmarks, I just picked up a bill that we're going to take up tomorrow, that has 9,247 earmarks in it, in the omnibus appropriations bill. So, what am I supposed to believe here?" (CBSNews.com, 2/24).

GOP strategist Ed Rollins, on Jindal's rebuttal: "It was a tough job. And obviously he was better on the weekend talk shows when he was answering questions as opposed to trying to give a speech. No one has ever really succeeded at this post. ... It's always painful. ... Everybody thinks it's a great launching pad. I wouldn't recommend to any of my clients, whatever you do don't take the honor. .. I would say this was a good night for Sarah Palin" ("AC 360," CNN, 2/24).

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA): "A homerun, a touchdown and a three-pointer" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 2/24).

CNN's Cooper, on pols arriving to the chamber in the a.m. to get aisle seats: "It's like waiting for, like, Madonna tickets or something. It was just kind of pathetic. ... The losers who waited all day to get a seat near him were like losers waiting for a Madonna concert" ("AC 360," 2/24).

See more analysis from the a.m. shows in today's Hotline.