I Kind of Love Laura Bush: Confession of a Democrat
In the foreword to her acclaimed novel "American Wife," Curtis Sittenfeld admits that she wrote the book because of the affection she felt for Laura Bush after reading a biography on her. This puzzled her since Laura Bush is the wife of a man that most Democrats would like to erase from the history books.
At first, I thought Sittenfeld was simply an anomaly, but then I read the biography myself, as well as Sittenfeld's fictional biography on the former First Lady, and I felt my resolve begin to weaken.
Now, details about Laura Bush's new autobiography have come out, and in it, she talks extensively about losing her faith after killing one of her classmates in an automobile accident.
Strangely, this was the final push that sent me over the cliff of affection into full-blown love for Laura Bush...
...while still completely deploring her husband.
Oh, don't think that she turns against him in this new book. She defends his flying over New Orleans after Katrina in a helicopter. Still, when it's Laura Bush defending the flight, somehow, it seems to make sense.
She says that it would have been irrational for him to go by land as it might have stopped medical and food supplies on trucks from getting to where they needed to go.
I read that and thought, Wow, maybe President Bush should have appointed his wife his Press Secretary.
It's more than just her words, though. It's her whole demeanor. There's just something about her that's really hard to dislike.
When First Lady Michelle Obama was criticized for saying that she was never prouder of her country than when her husband was running for President, Laura Bush was the one who silenced the critics by defending the future First Lady and pointing out that the statements were edited and presented out of context.
That defense nearly gave me ideological whiplash.
Did Laura Bush just defend Michelle Obama?
Following that, Michelle Obama went on The View and said that she thought Laura Bush was a role model for a potential First Lady, and I actually found myself agreeing with her.
Ironically, it's what most would consider political poison that I find appealing about Laura Bush: That car accident.
Something about the tragedy and the admission that she lost her faith during that time peels away that political sheen that seems to exist around every politician and those they come in contact with for the duration of their careers. The fact that she's now opening up about it makes me see her more as a human, and a really tough human at that.
I guess what I like most about her is that she's never really seemed comfortable in the political spotlight. Everything written about her indicates that she's a devoted wife who supported her husband and continues to do so, but that given the choice, this is probably not the life she would have chosen. She's a political figure I feel comfortable liking for the simple reason that she's not a very good political figure.
Plus, she was a school librarian. I mean, c'mon, how do you hate a school librarian?
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Also whenever a conservaitve started going on about Ted Kennedy's accident I had to use Laura to call them on their hypocracy. And I still don't accept the offical story consdering how many revisions it has gone through over the years.
I'm paraphrasing--
"You elected him. I just married him."
I've dated people that I wouldn't want as my President, but I certainly wouldn't have any say in whether or not other people did.
But, in spite of that, I have often been impressed with her. She won me over on Oprah shortly after 9/11 when she told people to think about their kids' teachers who have to deal with kids' emotions and questions and keep it together themselves all day. I really appreciated that. And in the week that followed it, we had several moms bring treats and write notes of encouragement for our teaching staff.
too bad some hate filled nuts had to show up and ruin it.
Eva Braun? come on.
I felt about Bill Clinton like so many of you now do about Bush. I've come to have a bit more respect for him in later years. And no matter what any of us have to think about any of them, one thing they will always have that we never will is that honorific: Mr. President. That's theirs for life. Like them or not, either one, they were President. We never will be. Tough life, ain't it?
I find it nearly impossible to be interested in her faith or lack of such, or the crimes and sins of her past.
She is simply another image, attached to words, that will float back out of my consiousness...replaced perhaps by the graceful tones of the new first lady, for which I have only the dimmest of affections brought forth by my tendancy to appreciate her wardrobe.
Even if she was retarded, she'd have married beneath her.
BTW-I did say retarded as, being pc is chickenshit because it costs accuracy.
Lisa Kern beat me to the "Stepford wife" comparison.
To: Kevin "Broccoli", You do realize, don't you, that her father in law hated you?
In my 71 years, I have never ever detested any politician more than I will forever detest her scumbag and cowardly husband.
A major reason is my serving in Nam while this punk HID in Ala to get out of being a man and serving his country.
Then, after being an illegal alien in the oval office, he did everything he could to ruin that same country.
So, was Laura really starry eyed?
Did she marry "for money"?
Is she drugged surreptitiously by those "in control"?
Has she been "warned" about telling any truths?
And, what I wonder most sincerely, has she been an abuse victim by the jerk to whom she is married?
i tried to hate her, but she's a really bright, classy lady with a great heart. i really like her.
and when she defended michelle, wow.
So with that out of the way......
I have little doubt that most who are here taking shots at the Bushes, their marriage and the circumstances under which they met, dated, married et al are the same folks who revere the divine relationship of Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham.
At least the Bushes can stand each other enough to share a residence, bed and life.....which is a lot more than can be said about the Clintons.
As Dennis Miller said, "The Clinton marriage couldn't be more about convenience unless they installed a Slurpee machine and a Slim-Jim rack at the foot of their bed."
Gosh, come to think of it, from his days avoiding the draft by faking his flyboy credentials straight through "Mission Accomplished!", he sure made a lot of blunders in midair. Helluva job, Georgie.