WASHINGTON -- Sen. Mel Martinez's office fielded 50,000 requests for tickets to Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart's office had to turn away so many people his office is offering condolence packages -- maps and information about fun things to do in the capital city -- to folks it had to turn down.

And Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Ron Klein and Robert Wexler are hosting a pre-inauguration day reception at the Library of Congress for those who didn't get tickets.

''I've been through two Clinton and two Bush inaugurations and they couldn't touch the level of enthusiasm that this inauguration has,'' said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, whose office was deluged with requests for tickets to the swearing-in ceremony. ``We had letters, phone calls, e-mails, many desperate pleas.''

Determining the fairest way to distribute the limited supply of tickets (198 for each House member, 393 for each senator) proved vexing for members of Congress who put a priority on fulfilling constituent wishes: Most gave them out on a ''first come, first served'' basis, though some offices devised elaborate lotteries or selected especially compelling stories.

Whatever the formula, there weren't enough tickets to begin to meet the demand.

''People are still calling,'' Towner French, an aide to Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, said late last week.

The ticketed are likely to be those who made the call weeks -- or in the case of Adrian Diaz -- months ago. The West Kendall information technology consultant put in his bid for tickets on Oct. 18 -- before the presidential election. ''I figured there was going to be high demand either way,'' said Diaz, 31, a Republican who voted for John McCain.

He says he's just as excited to be attending the Obama inauguration. ``The inauguration is a historical event either way. And he's my president, whether I voted for him or not. I may not agree with everything he says or does, but he's my president.''

Diaz hedged his bet: He put in a request first with Martinez and with his congressman, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami. Martinez's office came through with tickets for Diaz, his mother-in-law and his brother-in-law and girlfriend. Diaz's wife -- no fan of chilly weather -- will watch from home.

Diaz, who booked a hotel back in October (and has called six times since to reconfirm), said he planned on attending the inauguration regardless of whether he scored a ticket for the ceremony. And members of Congress note that no tickets are required to join the expected hordes of attendees watching the ceremony on Jumbotrons along the National Mall. Most of the spots along the parade route also are free.

Still, some wanted a front-row seat. North Dade Middle School teacher Vivian Shelton, 53, e-mailed and faxed Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, about tickets for herself and her two granddaughters, Sage Robinson, 7, and Angela Clayton, 5.

''I know this is a big request for a small child,'' she said in the letter to Meek. She got the phone call -- three tickets! -- late last week.

'I kept thinking, `Lord, I really want the girls to go,' '' Shelton said, noting that the girls were featured in The Miami Times in November accompanying Shelton to voting precincts and thanking seniors for standing in line to vote.

''This is something they'll remember their entire lives,'' she said, noting that she's still trying to figure out how to pay for the trip.

The interest in the event has sparked members of Congress to take exceptional steps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart's office said it sent information on free events, including watching the ceremony from the Mall, to everyone who didn't get a ticket. And constituents who didn't get a ticket from Wasserman Schultz, Klein and Wexler can mix with them at the Library of Congress event.

''The reception is a way for us to do something special for everyone coming to Washington, whether they have a ticket or not,'' said Jonathan Beeton, spokesman for Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston. He said the office had requests for more than 2,000 tickets.

Members of Congress get seats, but at least one won't be using hers: Ros-Lehtinen. She's watching from home, on a new 40-inch television.

''It's no diss on President-elect Obama,'' said Ros-Lehtinen, who famously twice mistakenly hung up on Obama when he called her cellphone to congratulate her on her reelection. ``I don't relish the fact of sitting there in very cold January weather. I'll be watching from the comfort of my South Florida living room with my family.''

Ros-Lehtinen said she hasn't been to an inauguration since Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in 1985 which was moved inside the Capitol because of the cold.

''I said I was never going to do that again,'' Ros-Lehtinen said. ``I'll be watching instead, in high-def.''

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