Guests for President Bush's Speech

Laura Bush applauds guest Safia Taleb al-Suhail, left, an Iraqi voter, during the president's address. (Rich Lipski -- The Washington Post)

Guests chosen by the White House to sit with Laura Bush during President Bush's State of the Union address:

• Two special guests of Laura Bush: Safia Taleb al-Suhail, leader of the Iraqi Women's Political Council; and Homira G. Nassery, who voted in Afghanistan's historic presidential election in October.

• Supporters of private accounts in Social Security: Robert McFadden of Medford, N.J.; Sandra Jaques of West Des Moines, Iowa; and Robert Wright of Millard County, Utah.

• Two people who participated in tsunami relief efforts: Don Cressman, a pilot with Air Serv International, who has been in the region coordinating supply deliveries; and Linda Goble of Livermore, Colo., who donated money.

• Janet and William Norwood of Pflugerville, Tex., whose son, Sgt. Byron Norwood, 25, was killed Nov. 13, 2004, during an assault on Fallujah. After her son's death, Janet Norwood wrote to Bush in support of his policies in Iraq.

• Representatives of each military service branch: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Roberto Atha of Miami, who flew missions in Afghanistan and Iraq; Marine Corps Staff Sgt. John Manuel Martinez of Brooklyn, N.Y., who fought in Afghanistan; Army Staff Sgt. Norbert Lara of Copperas Cove, Tex., a military policeman who lost his right arm in a grenade attack; Air Force Master Sgt. Karlette Melendez of West Pittston, Pa., a coordinator of logistical and operational support; and Coast Guard Second Class Gerald J. Fox IV of Laurinburg, N.C., who rescued soldiers injured after an explosion on a neighboring vessel.

• Two school officials calling attention to the No Child Left Behind Act: Susan Yturralde, principal of the Desert View Elementary School in Santa Theresa, N.M.; and Lorna Clark, a kindergarten teacher at the school, which went from being a low-performing school to a model.

• A representative of the faith-based community: Sister Constancia Parcasio, the program director for Prison Ministry in Fairfax.

• Two people highlighting what Bush says is the need for capping awards in medical malpractice lawsuits: Karen Liebert of Bradenton, Fla., a physician who stopped delivering babies last year because of rising insurance premiums; and Julianne Ferguson of Bradenton, a patient of Liebert's who is expecting her second child.

• Tom Martin, owner of a small business in Rutland, Vt., that was driven into bankruptcy by asbestos litigation, which Bush supports curbing.

• Nancy Connolly, president of Lasertone Corp. in Littleton, Mass., the largest woman-owned supplier of network printer solutions.

• Two guests highlighting issues of Laura Bush: Lillian Spark, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, who educates women about the dangers of heart disease; and Will Dunn, of the Ella J. Baker House in Dorchester, Mass., who helps mentor neighborhood children and reduce gang participation.

• D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams.

• Dorothy Bush Koch, the president's sister.

• Bush's chief lobbyist on Capitol Hill, Candida Wolff.

-- Associated Press