Laura Bush
Being the wife to the
President of the US, probably the most stressful job in the world, is no easy
task. The task escalates if your
husband is George W. Bush, who had received an enormous amount of criticism during
his past 4 years as president. From his
war on terror and occupation in Iraq, and seemingly ignorance towards
environmental and domestic issues, Bush has not endeared himself to many Americans. The fact that he is a realistic threat to
retain another presidency terms, speaks volumes about the state of American
politics and the Democratic Party. But
I digress, focusing on Laura Bush and her life.
Laura Welch was born in
Midland, Texas on November 4, 1946. Her
father was a carpenter father and her mother a housewife. A popular girl, high school saw Laura
blossom into an accomplished dancer and chain smoker. In the fall of 1963, Laura was involved in car accident, running
a stop sign and colliding with another vehicle, inflicting a fatal neck
fracture on Mike Douglas, a then-serious boyfriend. It would be a dark time in Laura’s life, although she did attain
a Master’s degree in Library Sciences.
Fifteen years following the
accident in 1977, the bookish Laura met Cowboy George at a friend’s party. Recalling her first impressions of the
future Commander in Chief, Laura told the Washington Post in March 2001, I
thought he was fun. I also thought he
was really cute. George is very fun. He’s also slightly outrageous once in a while
in a very funny and fun way and I found that a lot of fun.
Just over five weeks after meeting him, Laura
accepted his fun proposal of marriage. Once
a Democrat, Laura had been converted to the Republican faith by marriage. In 1981, George and Laura Bush became the
proud parents of twin girls, who are named Barbara and Jenna after their
grandmothers.
George W. Bush at this time
began his amazing ascent into politics, first becoming governor of Texas in
1994, and finally President of the US in 2000.
Laura stood behind George, calm, steadfast, and resolute all the whiles.
Thrust into the spotlight as
the First Lady, Laura Bush championed education causes and women’s health
issues, and launched the first National Book Festival. She also worked for women’s and children’s
causes. Laura however, has taken a
decidedly less prominent role in policy-making than her predecessors.
A telling statement could be
had during Laura Bush’s interview with Barbara Walters, who asked if she gave
her husband any advice during the primary campaigns in 2000. While acknowledging that talked about some issues,
the first lady of Texas said: ’I don’t give him a lot of advice. I really
don’t think George wants a lot of advice from me. This type of passivity and loyalty is
honorable perhaps in maintaining a stable 50’s based nuclear family, but it
also has drawn much ire from feminists, who have criticized Laura regarding her
ability to let George W. get away with foot-in-mouth chauvinist statements. George W. once told a Texas writer, Laura
was the perfect wife for a governor because she refrained from trying to butt
in and always, you know, compete.
Many pundits and political
analysts have agreed that Laura Bush has made great strides in improving and
heightening her public image – becoming more active and vocal in political
issues, although to a much lesser extent from preceding First Ladies. But perhaps that is her greatest strength.
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