WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama struck a balance between grim economic reality and a hopeful outlook on Tuesday as he tried to reassure worried Americans their country will emerge from crisis "stronger than before."
Riding high in opinion polls, Obama was careful to include a sober assessment of the economic emergency in his first speech to Congress. He sought, according to advance excerpts（n.摘录） from the address, to temper(v.调和) expectations that his administration's rescue efforts would yield quick fixes.
But the politician whose memoir was called "The Audacity of Hope" and who won the White House in last November's election amid chants（n.圣歌）of "yes, we can" was also back in stride, telling recession-weary Americans they can expect better days ahead.
"While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken, though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover," Obama said in his televised speech to be delivered at 9 p.m. EST.
"And the United States of America will emerge stronger than before," he insisted.
Five weeks after taking office, Obama pressed the case for his economic revival plans while laying out a broad agenda, including a much-anticipated push for a healthcare overhaul(n.革新), education reform and investment in alternative energy, to help build momentum（n.动力） for his young presidency.
The primetime（黄金时间）address to a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives comes against a backdrop of growing anxiety across the country in the face of the worst financial meltdown(n.融化，垮台) in decades.
While his public support is strong, Wall Street remains skeptical of his economic remedies.
