Our country is and always has been a great and good nation. But the best is yet to come if we all do our parts. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you. (95.1-5)

It's merely pro forma to end a State of the Union with "God Bless the United States of America." In spite of the tradition of separating church and state, shows of religiosity are common in modern politics, especially for presidents, who want to portray themselves as Good Guys.

Blessings encourage the viewer to think the President is acting in "good faith." (Pun very much intended.)

Modern presidents also tend to conclude with same variation on the sentiment that America is the greatest country of all time. A show of good old-fashioned patriotism not only gets people fired up; it also heads off any critics who say that the country is in bad shape.

Clinton also adds in his signature forward-thinking approach by promising "the best is yet to come" 95.2). Seriously, he loves talking about the future: the word comes up six times in his speech, and he even uses the cliché of "a brighter future" to describe his deficit plan (15.3-4).

As for "if we all do our parts," (95.2), that's about as conciliatory as you can get in a year when the government shut down. Clinton is sending a message to his Republican colleagues that governing through stalemate and stonewalling is not the way of the future. Given his move to the center throughout the speech, it's a good way to cap off a call for compromise.

Overall, after an evening of talking about divisive issues, the ending of the Address tones it down, and wraps things up in a concise fashion, sort of like repeating the melody at the end of a jazz tune. Play us out, Bill!