As evening falls, GOP slips into party mode

WASHINGTON -- The sworn oaths and lofty speeches behind them, President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and 50,000 of their closest friends slipped into their tuxedos and ball gowns last night for Washington's version of the Oscar night parties.

Braving midtown traffic snarls and imposing security lines, GOP revelers flocked to a series of inaugural balls, some official and some not, held throughout the nation's capital to celebrate the beginning of Bush's second term. While not exactly Vanity Fair material, the balls provided enough stargazing and elbow-rubbing potential to make witnessing a presidential two-step seem nearly as cool as schmoozing with Tom Cruise.

Nine official galas were on the inaugural dance card, the newest of which was the Commander-in-Chief Ball, held at the National Building Museum to honor armed forces personnel and their families. Only Florida and Ohio, key battleground states in last year's presidential race, enjoyed the distinction of holding stand-alone balls this year. Texas and Wyoming, home states to the Bushes and Cheneys, paired up again, as they did four years ago. Massachusetts joined an Independence Ball contingent made up of 14 other states plus the District of Columbia. Had John F. Kerry won, of course, the Bay State's ball would have taken on a much brighter sheen.

As it was, each affair had a sprinkling of celebrities to spice up the usual mix of political operatives, party donors, and plain old American citizens willing to pony up hundreds of dollars to dine (buffet style) and dance (mostly tastefully) with the Beltway swells, often to music their grandparents would have loved.

Hall of Fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda was about as good as it got for star power. He emceed the Commander-in-Chief Ball, joined onstage by Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey. When Finnessey gazed out at the sea of men in uniform and gushed, ''I may take one of you home tonight," Lasorda looked envious. ''If only I were 30 again," he said.

At the Independence Ball, one of six held at the Washington Convention Center, Cheney and his wife, Lynne, dropped by a little before 8 to thank supporters and ''dance with my date," as the vice president put it. The Cheneys twirled around to the Guy Lombardo orchestra's rendition of ''The Way You Look Tonight," then hastily exited for their next stop on the ball tour. Tom Driessen, a Los Angeles-based comedian just back from a tour of Iraq with David Letterman, threw the red-state crowd some red meat with a joke about Barbra Streisand, Cher, and Alec Baldwin all promising to leave the country if Bush won reelection.

''If they throw in Michael Moore, I'll pick up the airfare," Driessen said, to loud applause.

The lines to get into the party or even into the Convention Center itself stretched hundreds deep more than an hour after the doors to the gala had opened. A touch of Hollywood magic was provided by Oscar-winning actor Jack Palance, who gingerly made his way through the party crowd supporting himself on a walking cane. Palance smiled at several well-wishers who greeted him but seemed in no mood to talk.

Several guests at the Independence Ball commented upon the heightened security and relative paucity of celebrities on hand, at least compared to other inaugurals they'd been to. Said Rebecca Conway, a magistrate judge from Greeley, Colo., ''The first Clinton inaugural had a huge glitz quotient, but the second was sort of low-key. The same is true for Bush's inaugurals, I guess."

Conway and her husband were planning to attend the Agricultural Ball later in the evening. Carl Masters, on the other hand, a Maryland lobbyist attending his fourth inaugural, said he and his wife, Hope, were frustrated by all the security measures. ''We'll have our own after-party," Masters said.

Other celebrity hosts included actor-comedian Ben Stein and newsman Geraldo Rivera, who emceed a more intimate gathering at Washington's Mellon Auditorium, where about 200 soldiers who are being treated at the National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center were shuttled for an evening of music and celebrity appearances.

The musical lineup included Michael Bolton, Tavares, and Doug E. Fresh. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz thanked the troops for their service. Actor Denzel Washington was also expected to show up before the night was through.

Army Sergeant Zachary Tyler returned to the United States from Iraq just a week ago, after suffering minor injuries in Mosul. After 11 months in Iraq, Tyler said, he'd gotten used to swiveling his head in search of enemies but last night all he saw was bow ties and cocktail dresses.

''I like to think this is a night for the grandmothers," Tyler said. ''Because it's the praying grandmothers that allow us to stay safe."

Rick Klein of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press was also used. Joseph P. Kahn can be reached at jkahn@globe.com.