Presidential: Formal, conciliatory, argumentative

Have you ever turned the TV on during election season and heard some talking head pontificating about a candidate sounding "presidential?" Kind of like being "clutch" is a requirement for great basketball players, being "presidential" is a requirement for political speeches.

It's a fluffy word, but it goes a long way toward describing the State of the Union Address. The tone is as formal as a business presentation; even in an election year (which 1996 was), the address is not the place to smear mud on your opponents.

That's also why Clinton goes out of his way to be conciliatory, shouting out his future sparring partner Bob Dole (64.2). (They wouldn't be so friendly later during the debates.)

It's also not a feel-good speech, like the president gives when granting an award or announcing a new initiative. Sometimes a leader has to attempt to draw a line in the sand, and Clinton used this speech to do that on government shutdowns, arguing to Congress:

I challenge all of you in this Chamber: Let's never, ever shut the Federal Government down again. (86.1-2).

Serious, formal, and visionary. Those sound like words to describe a president. Well, most of the time.