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Chapter 14 “Comforter in Chief” The Transformation of First Lady Laura Bush Robert P. Watson 221 INTRODUCTION On August 22, 2002, Laura Bush, wife of the forty-third president of the United States, addressed a crowd of teachers, students, and parents in Leander, Texas, to dedicate a new school named in her honor: the Laura Welch Bush Elementary School. The first lady’s comments were brief but poignant: “This school bears the name of a person who absolutely loves schools and all the things that happen within these walls—learning, laughing, singing, playing, and something else very important: reading.”1 In a calm Texas drawl, the first lady offered her advice to “practice, practice, practice” and to devote as much time to reading as to watching television in order to become a good reader. Mrs. Bush closed by thanking the teachers for making a difference and donating some of her favorite books to the school’s library. This event not only represents Laura Bush’s journey from elementary school teacher to popular first lady with an elementary school named after her but both reflects the first lady’s priorities and typifies her style in office in at least four ways: Mrs. Bush is the “education first lady,” promoting an array of early childhood education and teaching initiatives; as a former educator and librarian, as well as mother, these are causes that she is ideally suited to embrace and causes that mirror her heartfelt interests; such educational advocacy fits well with President George W. Bush’s stated education priorities; and like nearly all of Mrs. Bush’s activities, this appearance at the school’s dedication was also a “safe” event before a friendly crowd and involved brief, scripted remarks. The first lady is a worthy advocate when speaking about reading, literacy , and education. But throughout her first ladyship, Laura Bush has been notoriously careful not to overextend or venture into politics and policy, even though she has been transformed by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 222 “COMFORTER IN CHIEF” 2001. And in so doing, she appears to have found the right formula for a successful first ladyship. BESS TRUMAN? Laura Bush was still a rather anonymous figure during the campaign leading up to the Republican National Convention. At the convention, the prospective first lady delivered an address that was well received and benefited from a tried and trusted formula used by former first ladies: “I know my husband, and he is the right man for the job.” The months leading up to the election and later inauguration saw Laura Bush in the standard role of supportive spouse appearing beside her husband, and her public profile remained relatively low compared to that of her predecessor, Hillary Clinton. In the weeks following the inauguration, a case can be made that Laura Bush was the least visible, least active first lady in recent memory. For better or for worse, she was certainly no Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Bush had neither the political ambitions nor public visibility of her predecessor. As such, she did not attract the criticism that shadowed Mrs. Clinton. Laura Bush also lacked her predecessor’s desire to use the office as a means to effect change and her predecessor ’s record of accomplishment.The new first lady also seemed to lack her mother-in-law’s popularity, Nancy Reagan’s behind-the-scenes influence, Rosalynn Carter’s full plate of goals and activities, Betty Ford’s candor and accessibility, Lady Bird Johnson’s sense of purpose, Jacqueline Kennedy’s magnetic appeal, or even Mamie Eisenhower’s sure-handed role in running the social and domestic side of the White House. It is inevitable that presidents— and first ladies—are compared to their predecessors, especially during the first 100 days in office, and Laura Bush came off as white bread in an office that had seen its share of color, controversy, and charisma in recent years. Early polls show that many Americans did not have an opinion of their first lady; they were neither great admirers nor great critics of her.2 However, they did know what or who she was not. Most obviously, she was not Hillary Clinton, which, given the “Hillary fatigue” that existed, ironically served to benefit her. It would appear that the public had had its share of scandal in the White House and was ready for normalcy. And normalcy is what it got. Even though Laura Bush cited Lady Bird Johnson, another Texan, and her own popular...

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