I missed the speech last night.  So what is the state of the Union?

Is it "strong"?  Yeah, I bet it is.  I bet that’s what he said.  It’s "strong".

UPDATE:  Well, looking through the text, he never actually said that.  Usually, within the first couple of sentences, the President will proclaim (not just "say", but literally proclaim) "The State of the Union is strong!" [Applause].

I guess his speechwriters saw the wisdom in not opening with a laugh line.

They did manage to weasel this in the end, though:

And so long as we continue to trust the people, our nation will prosper, our liberty will be secure, and the state of our Union will remain strong.

So, you know, it’s like he had already said the state of the Union is strong, and now he’s telling us it will "remain" that way.  Except, he never actually could say the state of the Union was strong.