Surprise. Bill Clinton arrived later than expected at the state Capitol this morning and stayed past noon. 

The former president and Arkansas governor was about 40 minutes late for a meeting with senators in the Senate chamber and spent about a half-hour visiting with old friends and discussing the  state of the state and nation. Among the throng was Secretary of State Charlie Daniels. He says Clinton “talked with folks that have been here a long time and he talked about the stimulus plan.”

Clinton later walked over to Gov. Mike Beebe’s second-floor office, and the two of them, along with state Sen. Mary Ann Salmon of North Little Rock and others, walked up one  flight to the House chamber, where Clinton addressed a joint session of the House and Senate. 

During his half-hour speech, the former governor told lawmakers to be thankful of Arkansas’ Revenue Stabilization Act, the law that prohibits deficit spending by the state. Clinton says Arkansas’ economy is much better than many other states.

Afterward, Clinton visited with a variety of people on the House floor and in the House Quiet Room, including Rep. Uvalde Lindsey, D-Fayetteville, who served as Clinton’s state budget director in 1983. Lindsey says he got to chat with the former president for about 30 seconds.