The State of the Union address is much more than an annual speech given by the president. With grand entrances, endless greeting lines, crowds and noteworthy fashions, it is a chance for lawmakers to step into the spotlight and linger late into the evening, spouting reactions to the big speech.

Or not.

At 9:20 p.m., 20 minutes after the speech began, Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) was the lone lawmaker parading through Statuary Hall. “I have a cold,” he said. “I’m going home to bed.”  

Roberta McCain, the 95-year-old mother of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), was a bright, petite presence in the crowd, in a red and black tiger print silk blouse and black skirt.

When asked about the prospects of her son’s presidential campaign, she replied, “Well, I’m an optimist.” And when pondering whether her son will win, she smiled sweetly and said, “If my prayers are answered.” Then she added, “I guess I have to learn to keep my mouth shut.”

Festivities began well before President Bush’s scheduled start, with hundreds of people clickety-clacking in their formal shoes around the Capitol hallways, trying to find their seats in the House chamber. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, in a winter white suit jacket, arrived with her mini-entourage and was seen doing a couple of about-faces on the second floor of the Capitol after being turned away at a couple of security checkpoints. Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole (R), meanwhile, confidently marched through a busy hallway and winked at a security guard before taking his place as a guest in first lady Laura Bush’s box.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in an ivory coat and black stilettos, found her seat in the front row.

Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M) then snuck up behind her, extended her hand for an obligatory shake, and sheepishly whipped out a pen and program for an autograph from the Cabinet member.

During a quiet moment of the speech, when Rice likely thought no one was watching, she squeezed her eyes shut and scratched her nose. She also appeared somewhat unstable on her high heels, teetering up for applause and teetering back down.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), in an emerald green ensemble, anointed herself the event’s unofficial greeter, standing in a front aisle seat while others filed in. She was one of the few who offered her hand to Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho).

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) also had a memorable moment when President Bush walked by him and rubbed his bald head, giving him a good shine. In return, Shays planted a kiss on the president’s cheek.

At one point, cameras panned to the dean of the House, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who appeared to be fast asleep. But Tuesday morning he swore he was thinking, not sleeping. “I was thinking of a rebuttal,” he said.

Red in all hues appeared to be the standout color of the evening, from the first lady to a host of lawmakers, including Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Reps. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio), Lois Capps (D-Calif.), Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) and Corrine Brown (D-Fla.).

Orange was also a hit. Lawmakers such as Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Diane Watson (D-Calif.) wore it, while Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) boasted a sparkly blazer the color of squash soup. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) stood out in her electric blue St. John suit with matching open-toed heels and a gold Adrienne Vittadini purse.

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) won the couture prize for her Hubba Bubba bubblegum pink skirt suit with glittering lapels.

It was also a night of patience. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), entering the chamber behind Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and in front of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), smiled politely as the presidential superstar absorbed his colleague’s attention.

“There’s a degree of theater to it,” said Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), summing up the evening after sitting through her third address. To her, however, the event was all business. “I come to look for the substance of it, not the theater.”

Al Eisele contributed to this report.