The most important points about the SOTU are what it said and did not say, but visual details are also revealing. Not surprisingly, the well-arranged visuals on this occasion reinforced GWBush's effort to seem conciliatory, to placate.

On television, certain individuals were NOT seen at the event, or at least not visible from the CBS cameras: Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), implicated in legal matters; Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Florida), connected with vote issues; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), deranged defender of Judge Alito. Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-Calif.), of course, has already left Congress.

Also NOT seen or not readily visible: neocon architects of the Iraq war Douglas Feith and Stephen Hadley; and Cheney men John Hannah and David Wurmser; and John Yoo. I. Lewis Libby has already resigned, of course, as has Richard Perle, and Wolfowitz is now at the World Bank. No Ahmed Chalabi was sitting in this time, either.

Vice President Cheney couldn't help being present, by virtue of his constitutional authority. But his image was softened by his wife, seated with a young granddaughter of theirs rather than with their irascible harridan of an elder daughter. Liz Cheney has a position in the administration dealing with Middle East matters. 

Condoleezza Rice was present, seated with the rest of the Cabinet. But Bush didn't perceptibly speak with her or look at her when she jumped up to congratulate him during his leavetaking processional after the speech.

Rice also softened her image for the occasion by wearing a white suit. She seems to have taken a leaf from the First Lady's book. Mrs. Bush has worn white or the palest of pale blue or pale pink for these events since 2001. (BTW, these signals are deliberate and deserve to be pointed out -- unlike comments that are nothing but misogyny. I know nothing about Condoleezza Rice's marital status. The only questions arising re personal relationships pertain to (1) breach of security, and (2) conflict of interest. If she had entanglements that constituted either a breach of security or a conflict of interest, they should be reported. But this is equally true for Karl Rove, or for Grover Norquist, or for Roy Blunt, or for Rick Perry, etc.)

Clearly visible for the cameras, among members of Congress, were both Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. John Warner (R-Virginia). Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) came in with Bush; maybe there's a little signal there for his race for House majority leader.

One question is whether certain individuals were deliberating avoiding the camera and were placed so that they could do so, or whether the cameras avoided them. Either way, we were given a pictorial arrangement to make the GOP look as presentable as possible. Another question is whether the White House did the arranging, or the television network did it for them, either upon request or not. It is rather devastating that someone backstage clearly knows who is presentable and who is not.