WASHINGTON, 4 February 2005 — The emotional highlight of President Bush’s State of the Union address on Wednesday occurred when he introduced an Iraqi woman and the parents of a US Marine from Texas who was killed in Iraq.
Nothing the president did was as moving as the spontaneous and emotional hug between the Iraqi woman who’s father was killed by Saddam Hussein’s regime and who voted for the first time in her life — and the mother of a US Marine who died fighting so Iraqis could vote.
The powerful moment, a snapshot of the sacrifices both Iraqis and Americans have made to change the destiny of that country, visibly moved everyone who was present, and their applause stretched over a minute — the longest applause of the evening.
As Sgt. Byron Norwood’s mother tearfully hugged Safia Taleb Al-Suhail, Republicans held up index fingers painted purple as a symbol of unity with Iraqi citizens whose fingers were inked as they voted last Sunday.
A visibly moved president bit his lip as he struggled to hold back tears.
As the women broke their touching embrace they became entangled — perhaps symbolic of current US-Iraqi relations — Mrs. Norwood, who was seated behind Mrs. Al-Suhail, reached down and untwisted her son’s dog tags, which she had worn to the address and had become caught on Mrs. Al-Suhail’s button cuff.
The moment followed the president’s praise of Al-Al-Suhail, the leader of the Iraqi Women’s Political Council, whose father was assassinated by Saddam’s intelligence service eleven years ago. Al-Suhail flew to the United States after voting Sunday in Iraq.
