It was a grand night for celebrating

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A jaunty and ebullient President Bush, buoyed by the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., arrived at the Capitol last night to deliver his fifth State of the Union address, beaming to the Republican faithful and savoring the day's decisive victory.

A robed Justice Alito had a front-row seat for the speech, 53 minutes of presidential proposals interrupted 58 times by hearty congressional applause. Earlier in the day, Justice Alito had watched the Senate confirmation vote at the White House with the president by his side.

After months of disappointments and embarrassments -- ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the Jack Abramoff scandal to the Palestinian elections -- the confirmation of Justice Alito made it an evening of triumph for the Bush administration.

Mr. Bush and first lady Laura Bush -- looking trim in a pink suit -- basked in the evening's often theatrical aura, with detractors like Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry -- his face showing a heavy 5 o'clock shadow -- looking as if they had been forced to swallow prunes.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on the other hand, looked downright jolly as she arrived in her steely gray suit. The New York Democrat looked less cheerful during the speech, fixing Mr. Bush with a cold glare when he mentioned that his predecessor, Mrs. Clinton's husband, had similarly used the surveillance authority that Democrats have criticized Mr. Bush for exercising against al Qaeda terrorists.

Although analysts dissected the substance of the State of the Union address, it is the style that matters: The body language of the president entering the chambers -- who offers a handshake? As is custom, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the first Cabinet member to enter the House chamber.

But the protocol of the State of the Union is not just diplomatic. One member of the Cabinet -- last night, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson -- customarily stays away from the Capitol in case of a catastrophic event during the speech.

The arbiters of applause noticed that Republicans rose to their feet to cheer -- while many congressional Democrats remained glued to their seats -- when Mr. Bush said decisions on Iraq would not be made by politicians. Nor were any Democrats seen leaping up to applaud when the president called for making permanent the tax cuts he pushed through Congress in his first term.

While much of the chamber rose to applaud Mr. Bush's line "we will never surrender to evil," a bored-looking Rep. Charles B. Rangel, New York Democrat, kept his hands well apart and whispered to the person on his left.

State of the Union seating always appeals to presidential junkies and, indeed, inclusion into the first lady's special section seems to be a reflection of exactly what's on the president's mind.

Flanking Mrs. Bush was children's rights advocate Fawzia Koofi, a widowed mother from Afghanistan who was recently elected to office in that country. Mrs. Koofi's father, a former member of that country's last democratically elected parliament, was killed 30 years ago. On Mrs. Bush's left was Ja'Detrus Hamilton, a 16-year-old USA Freedom Corps volunteer and victim of Hurricane Katrina.

Many viewers simply watch for the moment when an ordinary citizen is singled out as the "surprise guest," a tradition that started in 1982 with President Reagan when he introduced government worker Lenny Skutnik as a true American hero who had dived into the icy waters of the Potomac River a few days earlier to help save injured passengers from a downed Air Florida jet.

The longest applause last night came when the president acknowledged one of Mrs. Bush's special guests, the wife and parents of Marine Staff Sgt. Dan Clay, who was 27 when he was killed in December in Iraq. Mr. Bush quoted a letter written by Sgt. Clay -- intended to be delivered to his family in the event of his death.

Sgt. Clay, of Pensacola, Fla., wrote: "I know what honor is. It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to. ... Never falter! Don't hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting."

During the bipartisan standing ovation that followed, Mr. Bush gave an encouraging wink to the slain Marine's family.

c This article is based in part on wire service reports.