Attorney General Skips Speech

WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales stayed away from the Capitol Tuesday night in case of a catastrophic attack or accident as President Bush delivered his sixth State of the Union address.

By long-standing tradition, a member of the president's Cabinet misses the speech to Congress as a precaution against the entire administration's being wiped out and to maintain the presidential line of succession. Last year, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson did not attend.

The State of the Union address typically draws most members of both congressional houses and other top government officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, who is also the president of the Senate.