It was a room full of famous and powerful politicians and generals, but the most memorable moment during President Bush’s State of the Union address last night came in an embrace between two women hardly anyone had heard of beforehand. One was an Iraqi voter, Safia Taleb al-Suhail, whose father was assassinated 11 years ago by Saddam Hussein’s intelligence forces. Another was Janet Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, whose son, a Marine sergeant, was killed in the attack on Fallujah. Both were watching the speech from Laura Bush’s box. When Ms. al-Suhail reached out, apparently spontaneously, to embrace and comfort Ms. Norwood, Ms. Norwood, who was clutching her dead son’s military dog tags, seemed to press them on Ms. al-Suhail. It left even the grizzled television commentators and politicians deeply moved.

Mr. Bush set an ambitious standard in his speech: “The ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.” He compared it to previous ambitious goals such as abolishing slavery in America, liberating Europe from fascism, and defeating communism. He noted that freedom had already advanced through elections in Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Iraq, and Ukraine, and vowed, “In the coming years we will add to that story.” Mr. Bush gently but specifically pressed Saudi Arabia and Egypt to make progress toward democracy and freedom, and he made more pointed demands of Syria and Iran. “We expect the Syrian government to end all support of terror and open the door to freedom,” he said, leaving unsaid the consequences of a failure to meet those expectations. He called on Iran not only to stop building nuclear weapons but also to end support for terror. And he addressed the Iranian people directly, saying, “As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.”

Believers in the cause of freedom couldn’t have asked for much more. Sure, it will be important for the $350 million the president proposed to spend in support of the Palestinian Authority to be channeled to independent institutions not connected with the Palestine Liberation Organization. Such support will need to be audited carefully and conditioned on Palestinian prevention of terrorism against Israel. Sure, he could have been even tougher on the Saudis. But as an articulation and demonstration of freedom and democracy, the sacrifices required, and the friendships that can result, it was an extraordinarily successful night. And it was another example of the extraordinary degree to which a president that the Democrats like to deride as dumb and lacking a sense of culture has managed to illuminate the high road with an eloquence rarely matched by others who have held the highest office in the land.