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Think that she's just the wimpy wife of the wimpy president? Laura Bush raises her voice (a bit) By Judy Keen and Richard Benedetto, USA TODAY Laura Bush never really was just a demure librarian.
In private, she has always been more independent and opinionated than the docile public persona she perfected for her husband's first presidential campaign. But a more confident, glamorous and outspoken first lady is now on display for what she wistfully notes will be her final campaign. (Photo gallery: Laura Bush)
The Betty Crocker hairdo has been replaced by a sleek coif with streaks of blonde. Her toenails, peeking out from comfy espadrilles, are bright red. She still prefers to talk about education and reading, her pet issues and avocations, but she can dish up justifications for the war in Iraq, too.
In May, she exchanged quips during an appearance on The Tonight Show. When Jay Leno asked if she had gambled or seen a Chippendales show during a stop in Las Vegas, she replied with a version of the city's advertising slogan: "Jay, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."
She conducts solo news conferences when she's traveling and parries with reporters who challenge her husband's policies on controversial issues. Her voice is so soft, it's hard to imagine her yelling. But there is steel in her tone when she dislikes a question.
Reminded in an interview that a favorite reporting technique is to press her to define differences between her views and those of President Bush, she asks, "Is that what you're going to try to do? 'Would you please get into a debate with your husband? He doesn't have to debate John Kerry; he can just debate you!' "
The meek spouse caricature was always off base, says Regan Gammon, a friend since they were 8 or 9 years old. "Somebody must have said, 'Well, she's quiet, and she's a shy person.' But she's not necessarily quiet, and she's not shy," Gammon says. "She's a sensitive person. She's not a loud person." Rest of the article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-06-29-laura-bush-cover_x.htmWhopper: Laura Bush The first lady lies in order to make the president look ... stupid? By Timothy Noah Posted Monday, Jan. 5, 2004, at 1:25 PM PT President Bush is a great leader and husband—but I bet you didn't know, he is also quite the poet. Upon returning home last night from my long trip, I found a lovely poem waiting for me. Normally, I wouldn't share something so personal, but since we're celebrating great writers, I can't resist.
Dear Laura,
Roses are red, violets are blue, oh my lump in the bed, how I've missed you.
Roses are redder, bluer am I, seeing you kissed by that charming French guy.
The dogs and the cat they miss you too, Barney's still mad you dropped him, he ate your shoe.
The distance my dear has been such a barrier, next time you want an adventure, just land on a carrier.
I'm happy to be the inspiration behind this poem.
—Laura Bush, remarks at the National Book Festival in Washington, Oct. 3, 2003.
Q: Now, who could have written that poem, huh? I mean, what ...
A: Well, of course, he didn't really write the poem. But a lot of people really believed that he did. That evening at the dinner, what some woman from across the table said: "You just don't know how great it is to have a husband who would write a poem for you."
—Laura Bush on NBC's Meet the Press, Dec. 28, 2003.
Comment. This lie is about an obviously trivial matter, and there's something endearing about the first lady's undisguised pleasure at conning so many people. Still, it is not only a lie, but an entirely gratuitous one—Mrs. Bush's remarks about the joys of reading didn't need the anecdote, and arguably were undermined by its mawkishness. Of particular interest is the apparent aim of Mrs. Bush's hoax. Ordinarily, when a surrogate tries to pass off a fake quotation as a president's actual words, the quotation is meant to make the president sound scholarly, or witty, or lapidary. In this case, though, whatever White House staffer prepared Mrs. Bush's remarks obviously strained to make the president's purported love poem sound sufficiently moronic that no one would doubt Bush had written it. Chatterbox doesn't know what to make of this.
An exclusive excerpt from our First Lady Laura Bush's new book about raising her daughters Jenna and Barbara:
"Bloody Marys For the Soul"
Raising Christian Young Ladies When You Only Have Twenty Minutes and Two Shot Glasses
Nothing demands more of any passive-aggressive woman's attention than rebellious children (unless, of course, you have an underachiever husband with an addictive personality who is getting enormous pressure from his overbearing mother to get elected president). Gals, it is so important that you make time for your daughters! I try to free-up time by paying absolutely no attention to what I wear. As a dutiful mother, I set aside a full 20 minutes a month for my children. This time is sacred (unless, of course, an emergency pops up – like the time I had to run a Q-tip along the tops of all the baseboards in the governor's mansion or the time George's various prescriptions were calling out to be Dewey decimalized).
When my daughters Jenna and, um, a, -- well, the other one – packed their Samsonite and flasks for college, I decided to use their 7.4 minutes still unused that month to try something new – talking with them. So, I sat them down (well, actually, as I recall, Jenna fell down) and as I nervously drank something that only smelled like single-malt Scotch from my 24 oz. "What Would Jenna Drink?" coffee mug, I revealed my secrets to raising Christian ladies in a political family. (Being a resourceful homemaker, I also used the novelty of actually being in the same room with my daughters to Clorox a few yellowed bras so the afternoon wouldn't be a total waste.) -- Mrs. George W. (Laura) Bush
http://www.bettybowers.com/jenna.html
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