This year's State of the Union address by U.S. President Bill Clinton lasted 89 minutes.

Framed handsomely by the government's fiscal surplus and a continuously growing economy that has stretched into a record-breaking 107th consecutive month, the president illustrated the ambitious plans he has for his final year in office and went on to paint a rosy picture of America's future.

Delivered in an election year, the speech -- his eighth and final one -- played up his administration's achievements over the past eight years and was obviously meant to assist Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign and the Democrats' bid to regain control of Congress.