Knowing some very well, like my own motherinlaw, or one that i admired very much, is that we benefit, our country benefits by whatever our first ladys interests are. She is the wife of one president and daughterinlaw of another. Laura welch bush became first lady after a controversial election brought her husband, george w. Bush, to the white house. Less than nine months later came the 9 11 attacks while she helped comfort the nation with education, literacy and womens health. Welcome to cspans series, first ladies. Tonight, well tell you the story of the wife of our 43rd president. Here to do that are two people who know her well. Ann is a laura bush biographer. Her 2000 book the tells the story of her as she covered her since 2001. Welcome. Mark is a president ial historian, the author of several books about the presidency and is working on one about the relationship between president s bush 41 and 43. In your biography, you refer to the role of a job of first lady as, this is a quot
Shes talking about color and shes wearing a red dress and they understood the lighting and understood the message, how the message should go with the pictures, and they really got it all, and it was really almost Second Nature to them both. Want to move to the second term in the white house again, full of so many issues. In brief some of them included the soviet summit which included with the arms treaty. The explosion of the challenger. Any of us alive certainly remember that day well. The irancontra affair and how nancy was involved in that and the iraniraq war. She overcame the criticism. Did she become a positive Political Force for the white house in the second term . It was different. I mean, she was burned by the experience of the first year or so, and she came out of that and really was always very careful in her dealings with the press, very sparing in the interviews she gave, and as carl said, i mean, she has a presence about her, a poise, and she was able to i think communic
11, 1963, that defined jfks response to the Nuclear Arms Race and civil rights. Exploring the american story, watch American History tvs th o cspan 3. Did i feel prepared . Yes, i did really did. First of all i wasnt elected so it didnt make that much difference. I did notice, though, the difference between being the Vice President s wife and the president s wife is huge because the Vice President s wife can say anything, nobody cares. The minute you say one thing as president s wife youve made the news. So that was a lesson i had to learn. During george bushs presidency barbara bush used the office of first lady to promote literacy and raise awareness about aids and homelessness and earned his way into the history books, she and Abigail Adams the only women in our history to be the wife and mother of a president. Good evening and welcome to first ladies influence and image. Tonight is the story of barbara bush. The wife of Herbert Walker bush and here for the next 90 minutes to tell u
Her life before being married as well as her public and private life after marriage. Barbara bush, with all the posts that you and the president have held over the years, was there one that best prepared you for the white house, and when you became first lady, did you feel prepared . The answer is did i feel prepared . Yes, i really did. First of all, i wasnt elected so it didnt make that much difference. I did notice, though, the difference between being the Vice President s wife and the president s wife is huge because the Vice President s wife can say anything. Nobody cares. The minute you say one thing as president s wife, you have made the news. So that was a lesson i had to learn. Pretty quickly. But i felt very prepared because we had lived in washington off and on. Our my fatherinlaw had been a u. S. Senator. Although we lived in texas, i think i was very comfortable. I had a wonderful, loving family, and so did george. And i think we felt comfortable. So i liked being the wife
Give us a wonderful, wonderful presentation about george h. W. Bush. Well have question and answer after weekends awards and becaus filming tonight, please, use the microphones that we will place, i think one right there and one over to the side there, and thats so your question doesnt get lost on cspan. I want to welcome all of you, and let you know how much we appreciate you all being here tonight. Especially knowing that the democratic partys done a little bit of counterprogramming. [ laughter ] of course, weve got another, another 15 monthsplus to get our fill or probably more than our fill of 2020 president ial campaigning. Here were going to take a few moments to remember a man who won it in 1988. A president who it seemed the longer he lived, the more loved and appreciated he became. I was struck like many others, i think, by the national outpouring of respect and affection in the days leading up to and through the funeral of George Herbert walker bush last november. The funeral