Clinton Keeps Going, And Going...

It was the Energizer Bunny of State of the Union addresses. It kept going and going and going.

The president so savored the moment of his last State of the Union speech, that he spoke for one hour, 29 minutes and 6 seconds.

It was not only the longest State of the Union address he has ever given, beating the previous record of one hour and 21 minutes in 1995, it may well have been the longest speech of his presidency.

That's saying something.

If nothing else, it showed the president felt he had a lot to say. An awful lot.

With his eye on the legacy scoreboard, the president used the speech to lay out the agenda for his final year in office. Even his top aides acknowledged it was more like the agenda of a first year president than one in his eighth year.

And just like his political campaign platforms, there was something for just about everyone in this State of the Union message.

Tax breaks? You bet!

More aid to education? Absolutely!.

Environmental protection? But of course!

Combatting crime? Positively!

CBS News Correspondent Mark Knoller

He called again for the overhauling Social Security and Medicare - to extend their solvency further into the 21st century. And he all but demanded that Congress enact his plan to provide a prescription drug benefit to Medicare recipients.

"In good conscience, we cannot let another year pass without extending to all our seniors this lifeline of affordable prescription drugs," the president said with a tone of righteous indignation.

On education, he proposed doubling federal aid for after-school and summer school programs. He said Head Start pre-school deserves another billion dollars.

He urged congress to fund the third installment of his program to put a hundred thousand new teachers in the nation's schools.

He called for stepped up enforcement of equal pay laws for women and new programs to wring child support payments out of deadbeat dads and moms.

While trumpeting statistics that show crime in America is down, he said it's not enough.

He wants more than a quarter-billion dollars to hire 500 more federal agents to enforce the gun laws and over a thousand more prosecutors to put violators in prison.

And in a late addition to his speech, the president put forward a proposal that would require all new handgun buyers to first get a state-issued photo-license certifying they've undergone a Brady Law backgound check and gun safety course.

"Every state in this country already requires hunters and automobile drivers to have a license. I think they ought to do the same thing for handgun purchases," said Mr. Clinton.

Democrats offered up a standing ovation. Most Republicans sat on their hands.

Among those applauding was Vice President Gore. The initiative helps get him even with his campaign rival Bill Bradley, who's already been calling for registration of all gun owners.

And even if the president acknowledges that he hasn't a prayer of getting anything but a small part of his agenda enacted, it serves his purpose if only to make the proposals.

In his final year, he can tell the constituent groups that helped him win the White House, and keep it, that he was working to the end for their interests and the programs they supported.

The president clearly felt no constraints in using the nominally non-partisan speech to give a public tribute to two prominent democratic office-seekers: the First Lady and the Vice President.

Mr. Clinton described himself as "forever grateful" to his wife, for the work she has done on behalf of children and families. And as he led the applause for her - seated in the gallery overlooking the House Chamber - the president could be seen mouthing the words "I love you."

He did the same thing last year, when he was under impeachment and facing trial in the senate a few days later.

But the one spontaneously funny moment came in Mr. Clinton's tribute to his vice president, now running for the top job.

Mr. Clinton said, "last year the Vice President launched a new effort to help make communities more liberal." He meant to say 'more liveable.'

Even Mr. Clinton joined in the laughter at his slip of the tongue.

It took the Republican National Committee less than an hour to fax reporters it's agreement with the president.

"Truer words were never spoken (at least by Bill Clinton)," said the press release from the Republican Party.

As in year's past, the President offered unabashed praise to a number of Americans invited to sit with Mrs. Clinton in the gallery.

They included home run king Hank Aaron, who the president lauded for his commitment to racial reconciliation. And Tom Mauser, who's became an advocate for gun control after his son Daniel was shot and killed in the Columbine High School massacre last year.

But most intriguing about the audience in the House Chamber last night was the conspicuous absence of the black-robed Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

They always attend the President's State of the Union Address. But not this year.

They sent word earlier in the day to the House Sergeant-at-Arms that because of travel problems and "minor illnesses," none of the Justices would be present.

Take that assertion at face-value. Or suspect something more sinister.

You be the judge - or Justice.

By Mark Knoller
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