Washington » One Utahn will get a starring role in Tuesday's inauguration: Bob Bennett.

The Republican senator will take the podium to introduce Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who will swear in Vice President-elect Joe Biden.

Bennett, along with his wife, Joyce, will sit on the inaugural platform, escort some high-profile guests to their spots and afterward ride behind newly anointed President Barack Obama in his trek down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.

"Tomorrow will be my Cinderella day," Bennett said Monday as he made final preparations for the ceremony. "I will have [District of Columbia] Metro Police, Capitol Police -- security available to me as if I were [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid or [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi. They'll pick me up from home. We'll be in the parade. We will be at the review stand at the White House -- all of that."

Joyce Bennett, who rarely makes the spotlight, will sit aside her husband on the platform after escorting first lady Laura Bush and Lynn Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, to their seats. She also played a key role in another part of the inauguration planning, helping select the menu of duck and pheasant for the inaugural luncheon inside the Capitol's historic Statuary Hall.

The senator will, of course, don a suit for the swearing-in, while Joyce Bennett, he says, found a perfect dress suit that will keep her toasty in the below-freezing temperatures.

"We've had a lot of conversations about that, as you can imagine," Bennett said. " We finally decided on a very classic black coat, and she will be wearing a very, very warm wool suit underneath it."

Bennett earned his key role as the ranking Republican on the Senate Rules Committee and helped craft details of the big ceremony.

While today's event will draw upward of 2 million people on the National Mall and millions more on television, Bennett says he's ready for his prime speaking role - down to the smallest detail.

"I got told today that I have to take off earmuffs when I speak."

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