Barbara Bush: I Was Sick of Cocaine Question

NewsMax ^ | October 19, 2003 | staff

[Bubba_Leroy]

"There is a myth in the United States -- you've heard it many times. It says that all American mothers hope that their child will grow up to be President of the United States," writes Barbara Bush in her new book "Reflections: Life After the White House," excerpted in the October 27 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, October 20).

The former First Lady writes that in her case, that certainly is a myth.

"But on January 20, 2001, even without having wished that one of our children would grow up to be president, there we were sitting on the west side of the United States Capitol, waiting for our son, George W., to be sworn in as the forty-third president of the United States of America."

Afterward, Bush wrote down her thoughts during the inauguration. "I know I should be thinking marvelous deep and lofty thoughts, but I find myself thinking of Al Gore and what he must be feeling," she writes.

"I'm sure he thinks he won the race, and although I don't, I do feel sorry for him. He is gracious, and a minute ago came over to shake our hands and to meet Jenna and Barbara, George and Laura's twin daughters. We've lost and losing is not easy."

Referring to campaign trail talk about George W. Bush's past, Bush writes "The feeding frenzy over George's not answering the Big "C" question is driving me crazy. I confess that I had to ask what "C" stood for and was shocked when Doro [the Bushes' daughter] told me that it stood for cocaine. His dad and I react differently. I am sick of it, yell at the tube, and go into another room. His dad watches every holier-than-thou commentator and political opponent...Incidentally, nobody has come forward to say he did use cocaine, and I have not asked him, nor has his father."

Bush writes that on September 11, 2001, she and husband George were flying to Houston via St. Paul, Minnesota, when the co-pilot reported that a commercial plane had flown into one of the World Trade Center buildings.

"Like everybody else, we spent the day glued to the television ... We feared for our children and grandchildren. We were no different from most Americans with one huge exception-we had Secret Service, and so knew that George W. and Laura and the girls were safe."

Bush writes that she thinks now she "didn't really understand" the ramifications of the attack.

"I know George realized that day that the world had totally turned around and upside down. I know he knew of the huge problems that faced our son, the President of the United States. It took me much longer to realize that September 11, 2001 was the day the whole world changed; certainly for the United States of America."

At 78, with one son in the White House and another in the Florida governor's mansion, the self-described Bush family "enforcer" seems to feel less compunction than ever about keeping a lid on her blunt assessments, writes Contributing Editor Melinda Henneberger. Her new memoir was toned down considerably by her editors at Scribner.

"Yes, Miss Frank over there," her husband says over lunch at their home in Kennebunkport. To ward off libel suits, he says, "the publishers had to take out a lot."

[Bubba_Leroy]

To ward off libel suits, he says, "the publishers had to take out a lot."

I would love to read the unedited version.

[alwaysconservative]

Thanks for posting this! Bump for the "Silver Fox"! I love that our President Bush is credited to be more tempermentally similar to his mother than his father. I also love the bluntness of this woman and her son the President, even as she speaks candidly about feeling sorry for the Gores. She displays genuine compassion without condescending to the saccharine that liberals do.

[Psycho_Bunny]

When I worked for Seafirst Bank, in Seattle, the management paid for President Bush, Sr. to speak at a seminar.

He told a story which I wondered if it was written for him as a joke but, whenever I read something by Mrs. Bush I suspect it happened:

He said that now that he's retired from politics his home life is pretty normal and all he wants to do is sit around and watch TV or read.

Barbara once nagged him to go walk the dog.  Joking around with her, he said "I don't have a walk the dog; I'm a Knight of the Realm!  Knights don't have to walk dogs."

She replied, "Get your butt out of the chair and walk the damn dog, Sir George."

[truthkeeper]

I would love to read the unedited version.

I was poised to type the same thing. You took the words right out of my mouth.

[Tamzee]

I would love to read the unedited version.

Same here... I bet it would be fascinating :-)

[PISANO]

A big BUMP for the ONLY outspoken, honest, UN-PC, compassionate and CONSERVATIVE former FIRST LADY alive today.

[GraniteStateConservative]

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature: old things are passed away; behold, ALL things are become NEW." 2 Corinthians 5:17

I don't care what Bush did back then because God doesn't care either.

[jocon307]

"...Bush wrote down her thoughts during the inauguration. "I know I should be thinking marvelous deep and lofty thoughts, but I find myself thinking of Al Gore and what he must be feeling,"

Ha! This sounds like something I would do. You see, underneath it all she is a big mush. I was at my kid's volleyball game the other day, and they were SLAUGHTERING the other team. I had to repeatedly stop myself from rooting for the losers, I just felt so sorry for them.

[nightdriver]

"I had to repeatedly stop myself from rooting for the losers, I just felt so sorry for them."

I've noticed over the years that that is sort of an American characteristic. Not a bad one, at that.

[xsmommy]

Get your butt out of the chair and walk the damn dog, Sir George."

i love this woman!

[CyberAnt]

And .. you can understand her feelings because she related them to "we've lost too". Thereby giving her a "real" reason for the compassion.

[Recovering_Democrat]

"I know I should be thinking marvelous deep and lofty thoughts, but I find myself thinking of Al Gore and what he must be feeling," she writes.

"I'm sure he thinks he won the race, and although I don't, I do feel sorry for him. He is gracious, and a minute ago came over to shake our hands and to meet Jenna and Barbara, George and Laura's twin daughters. We've lost and losing is not easy."

Graciousness, humility, empathy and respect. Can you even imagine such words being written by ANYONE who is a Democrat? I cannot. Just another reason I am a
Recovering_Democrat.

[Rose in RoseBear]

Pingpingping!

[Mr. Mulliner]

I have a friend who worked for many years as a hostess at a retreat where many of the rich and famous showed up. She got to play hostess to the biggest names in politics, academics and show business and could name drop all day long. But the one person she talked about the most and said she liked the best was Barbara Bush.

[jocon307]

"I've noticed over the years that that is sort of an American characteristic. Not a bad one, at that."

Yes, rooting for the underdog, I guess that is American, although I have thought that it was a New York thing. It's not bad, really, but sometimes you can get jammed up with it, if those underdogs come back, you know what I mean?

I will say this, I am CRUSHED at the defeats of the Cubs & the Red Sox this year, I never believed in the Curse of the Bambino, and I'd never heard of the Curse of the Goat, until this year. Well, now I belive they are both true!

[JohnnyZ]

A big BUMP for the ONLY outspoken, honest, UN-PC, compassionate and CONSERVATIVE former FIRST LADY alive today.

And pro-abortion. I'm just saying.

[Indrid Cold]

Oh, yeah. I'm sure she'll be WAY more honest than Hillary was.

[ladyinred]

Oh, what a shame, I want to see the unedited manuscript darn it all! Someone has to fight back, and who better than a mother bear?