I certainly agree with Jennifer (and Lisa Schiffren) that President Obama should hold the speech to 25 minutes. In oratory, shorter is almost always better. The greatest inaugural speech in American history, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural, took only a few minutes to deliver. (Do yourself a favor and read it here.) William Henry Harrison’s inaugural speech, on the other hand, is remembered only for being the longest in American history, lasting an hour and forty-five minutes. He delivered it in a snow storm and died a month later of pneumonia.

To be sure, State of the Union speeches are usually boring and utterly unmemorable. Of all the ones I have listened to, the only two lines I can remember are: “the state of the Union is not good” (Gerald Ford in 1976); and “the era of big government is over” (Bill Clinton, 1996).  Come to think of it, perhaps President Obama should start off his first State of the Union speech quoting Bill Clinton. That would certainly get everyone’s attention.