At least, around the standard rituals of a SOTU address. Standing-O when the President walks in, standing-O when he flatters the Speaker and other distinguished guests, standing-O for the standard phrases of patriotism and Mom and applie pie, standing-O for the extraordinary ordinary Joes. I did think that Bush's praise of Pelosi was appropriately lavish; he didn't hold back out of partisanship.

I paid attention to the backgrounds, especially the pattern of applause and standing-Os at each applause line. There was an odd dynamic in the room; the patterns were sometimes hesitant (people seemed to wait to see who else stood up), and somewhat unpredictable. Generally, Republicans stood and applauded wildly whenever they were supposed to. Sometimes the Democratic side stayed seated but applauded politely; sometimes they just sat there with stony, sour looks on their mugs. On occasion the Republican side was obviously less than thrilled, and there was the odd sight of the Democrats rising for a standing-O while the Republicans sat stony-faced. It's all theatre.

The patterns weren't as distinct as in past SOTUs, but I got the impression that the Democrats and moderate Republicans were choosing the menu items they'd get behind, and those they'd ignore. The majority of Congresspeople in attendance seemed to project an attitude that the balance of power had shifted their way, and that Bush would have to work for anything he wanted; no more rubberstamp even from the Republicans. The partisan divisions were nowhere sharper than on the subject of Iraq. You could've drawn a line down the center of the chamber with a ruler, but even then that line would've been to the (political) right of center. Bush clearly doesn't have a majority of Congress behind his war strategy.