But from inside the US House of Representatives, it was apparent that Gillard pushed all the right buttons to ensure that the Australia-US alliance remains as strong as ever.

Little wonder that at its conclusion, the Australian delegation rushed to shake hands with the principal speechwriter.

The US is feeling unloved at the moment and Gillard was there to stress how important and needed it still is. More so given the rise of China, which in the US is perceived as a far more negative prospect that it is in Australia, be it economic or militarily.

"You were indispensable in the Cold War and you are indispensable in the new world too,'' she said.

Gillard received six standing ovations and 10 seated rounds of applause. She herself choked back tears as she neared the end of the speech and urged the US to be bold in order to get back on is feet.

"I firmly believe you are the same people who amazed me when I was a small girl by landing on the moon,'' she stammered.

There were tears in the audience as well. The hardline Republican Speaker, John Boehner, welled up when Gillard told the story of the New York firefighter, Kevin Dowdell, who died a decade ago on September 11. Like so many who perished in the twin towers, no trace of his body was ever found.

Three years before, Dowdell had helped train Australians in preparation for a terror attack on the Sydney Olympics.

He gifted a battered FDNY helmet to one of the Australian firefighters, Rob Frey. When Dowdell was killed, Frey tracked down his two sons, Patrick, a solider in Afghanistan, and James, a NY fireman, and gave them their dad's helmet.

James and Frey were in the gallery this morning and rose, James clutching the helmet, to an ovation that almost lifted the roof.

It was a magnificent piece of symbolism that surpassed words.

While the prime aim of the speech was to reinforce the alliance into the future, it was not all praise and effusion. Gillard cautioned the US lawmakers against reverting to protectionism in a bid to lift its economy out of the slump.

Free trade equalled jobs and growth, she said.

She also sought to soothe fears about China, saying there was room for everyone to benefit economically.

"My guiding principle is that prosperity can be shared,'' she said. "The global economy is not a zero-sum game.''

This provoked spontaneous applause.

Underlying it all, however, was the observation that with China and India on he rise, the Asia-Pacific would become the world's most important region in economic and military terms.

And Australia wanted American leadership in the region, both global and economic. John Howard used to warn those who constantly criticised US dominance to be careful what they wished for. Gillard's message was essentially the same.

Kevin Rudd was pilloried for his 2008 suggestion of an Asia-Pacific Community, a regional body in which member nations could talk security and economics, unlike APEC, which is confined to economics and does not include India.

Now Rudd's vision has been vindicated by the US and India joining the East Asia Summit.

Gillard all but said this was now the premier forum in the region to "manage the frictions of a growing and changing Asia Pacific'' and that Australia would be in lock-step with the US as an ally, just as we would stay with them to the death in Afghanistan.

Standing in the cradle of democracy, supporting a war and free trade, Gillard has come a long way since her alleged socialist left leanings as student.

Phillip Coorey is Sydney Morning Herald chief political correspondent.