The New York Times-20080129-What-s the State of the Union- Well- Gleeful- if You-re a Democrat

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What's the State of the Union? Well, Gleeful, if You're a Democrat

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Democrats never seemed so elated about the prospect of a major speech by President Bush. Or of having it finished.

I think everybody is ready to turn the page, said Representative Mark Udall, Democratic of Colorado, as he and his colleagues poured out of Mr. Bush's last State of the Union address.

Next year we'll have a different president, which I look forward to, said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, Democrat, majority leader and frequent nemesis of the president.

They were not the only ones quick to note the finality of the moment: Mr. Bush's last State of the Union speech after a presidency that saw Democrats battered at the polls in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, only to regain power last year. Now they face the coming election with optimism.

Democrats sat quietly while Republicans cheered many of the president's applause lines, no longer afraid of seeming to slight Mr. Bush. They snickered at some points and some called aloud for a return of troops from Iraq. Bring them home, bring them home, they chanted.

Even Republicans acknowledged the sense that an era was ending with Mr. Bush, still low in the polls and running out of time, stepping up to the teleprompters in the House one last time. One Senate ally said he sensed that the White House was going through the motions. And Republicans admit, privately, that they face a political challenge in November given the unpopularity of the war in Iraq and rising fears about the economy.

Some Republicans found the Democrats' tone off-putting and out of sync with the bipartisanship of recent efforts to speed an economic package through Congress to bolster the economy.

I don't know what they gain by this relentless stream of negativity, said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas. But I guess they just can't seem to help themselves. The sense of transition was magnified Monday by intense focus on the body language in the House chamber as the two leading Democratic candidates for president, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, returned for a couple of intelligence-related votes earlier in the day and the president's speech. And they did so on the same day that Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts delivered a ringing endorsement of Mr. Obama that many saw as a rebuke of former President Bill Clinton and his recent conduct on the campaign trail. Mr. Obama walked into the chamber, with Mr. Kennedy directly behind him. They took their seats, side-by-side, sealing the image of their newfound partnership.

Sitting just four chairs away, Mrs. Clinton was engaged in conversation with a number of senators, but not Mr. Obama. When Mr. Kennedy extended his hand and they exchanged a brief handshake, Mr. Obama's head turned the other way. After the address, Mr. Obama chatted briefly with Mr. Bush, while Mrs. Clinton exited the chamber.

For Democrats, the political theater was a highlight of the night.

It's an end, but it's also a beginning, said Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota. Somewhere in that chamber was the next president.

The State of the Union is one of the major annual set pieces on Capitol Hill, and the complex was buzzing with receptions, preparations and political talk. The Arab television station Al Jazeera for the first time had a camera station in Statuary Hall, where lawmakers flock after the address to deliver reactive sound bites to television stations back home.

Democrats believe that Mr. Bush's tenure has put them in strong shape for the coming elections. And while they were clearly pleased that this was to be his last State of the Union speech, they were not as elated about the contents, particularly its emphasis on reducing the pet projects known as earmarks beloved by many in Congress.

Republicans said they thought Democrats were misreading public opinion just as they had misread Mr. Bush for years.

I think he wants to finish strong, said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. President Bush and I have disagreed at times, but I think he has been a bold president with his ideas. Congress will make a big mistake if we don't jump on board with his idea for earmark reform.

Leading Democrats said the focus on home-state spending that many constituents expect was the very definition of small-bore thinking. A few compared it to former President Bill Clinton's 1994 State of the Union embrace of school uniforms as a way to stem school violence. Mr. Reid said the president was evidently hard up for policy initiatives.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat working with the administration on the economic plan, said, To realize that the president of the United States, in his final State of the Union address, is not talking about the promise of the future, he is talking about the process of an appropriations bill, I think that's pretty sad.

Representative Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican, said there was definitely a different feel in the House.

I think there was a certain relaxation and calmness to the president knowing it was his last speech, he said. And I think there was a certain relaxation and calmness to the Democrats knowing it was his last speech.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton greeting Senator Edward M. Kennedy on Monday night as Senator Barack Obama turns away. (PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES)