We talk to her in 2013 about her life before being married. About her public and private life after marriage. Barbara bush, with all the posts you and your husband have held over the years, was there one that best prepared you for the white house, and when you became first lady, and you feel prepared . The answer is that i feel prepared . Yes. First of all, i was not elected. So it didnt make that much difference. I didnt notice 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 the president s wife, you have made news. That was a lesson i had to learn pretty quickly. But, i felt very prepared, because we had lived in washington off and on. My father in law had been a u. S. Senator, although we lived in texas. I think probably i was very comfortable. I had a wonderful, loving family, and so did george, and i think we feel comfortable, so i love being the wife of the Vice President best of all, but why is that. Why is that . You could say anything you want and nobody cared, and you can do a lot of great things. When i get to the white house, you could do even more good things. Things im interested in, i can really raise money, raise interest that a normal, much smarter person cannot do. Going into the white house, what was some of the best advice you got . Lets see. Going into the white house, best advice i got . He pure mouth closed i suspect, nobody dared say that to me. I dont remember getting too much advice. I had been with the senate ladies, and i had a lot of friends. I had done that for eight years, and i went to the senate wives meetings every tuesday morning. I went some tuesdays when they didnt have meetings and had to be called home again. I loved that part of my life. I loved all my life. I have been a lucky person. You open your memoir in 1994 by saying, i have been very privileged in my life. I wrote that because my husband said, you are going to be highly criticized, because people are going to say, you have lived a life of luxury. Although i lived in a tiny small house i would be glad to show you anytime in new york, and my father and mother struggled, i think, sort of, because i had a very loving, sick younger brother, that i did live a privileged life. They left me. They loved my sister, my brothers. We just had a great household, and i hope others could do it. We were privileged. Maybe not as privileged as some, but more than 95 of the country. When did you first meet george bush . I met george at a dance. In those days, they Exchange Christmas dances and i met him at a christmas dance, and he cut in on me he didnt. He asked someone to introduce us, really, and i had on a red and green dress. My mothers great friend had given her and said, i wonder if barbara would like this dress. It had belong to some friend of hers. It was pretty, because george asked to meet me. We came the next night to another dance. He cut in on me. My older brother asked him if he was playing a basketball game. Prep school boys against the high school, and they were murdered incidentally by the high school, but george said, yes, he would play and asked if i would meet him and go out afterwards. Every member of my family came to the basketball game. To look at this boy that i had met. When i would come home at night, my mother would say, i want you to meet, and my father would say, tell her in the morning i came home and said, i met this heavenly boy, and my mother knew the next morning exactly who he was, who his family was. She should have been the head of the cia. She knew everything. I must say, i feel the same way. I can breathe now. I can breathe when im with him. I couldnt breathe. He was just fabulous. Throughout your life, you moved a lot. 27 times. He could not hold a job, but we are really lucky for the things we have done. Weve lived in horrible places. But weve lived in pretty wonderful places. I loved almost every one of them, and i like them all because he was there, but Everybody Knows we lived in a house with three ladies. One with a child, and the other two were ladies of the night. Shared the bathroom with them, which seems inconceivable now. I cannot imagine my grandchildren doing that but they missed some great adventures. George and i had lunch yesterday, and we talked about the fact we had a lot of adventures our grandchildren will never have. They really are privileged. They may not know that, but they really are. They wont have these adventures. Its too bad. I never met a texan until i moved here. I thought anyway, it turns out, i left texas and we chose to live there. Did you know early in your marriage that you were going to become a coal campaigner for offices . No. Never trumped. I dont think george knew, contrary to popular belief. I think sometimes was i surprised he was running for president . It didnt just happen like that. It worked out that way. He was the county chairman and he was a congressman, he was very successful businessman. It didnt just happened that he said to me one day, im going to run for president. It was just there. But long after we were first married. In fact, when he came back from china to be the head of the cia, that meant the end of politics. He would never be president , because you could not be head of the cia and be president. You cant. In your memoir, youre right, this is from your journal. George is obviously the most qualified person for the job of president. Do i want him to run . Absolutely not. Well, it goes to show you. I told my boys they could never be i guess i am a political doubt her. I think it is a huge sacrifice to run for office, and i think people are very critical of congress. They may not be doing a great job, but they could do better at home. They would have one home with their families. Many of them cannot afford a home in washington. I just feel like it is asking a lot, and i thought he might lose. Of course, he did, but we moved on. How do you develop six kids, or dont you for politics or criticism . Im not good at it. Most people dont dare criticize george h. W. Bush, ever. The press i just dont Pay Attention to it. But dont criticize george h. W. Bush. Ever if i dont like it, i dont Pay Attention. Dont dare criticize George H W Bush ever. There was a Bumper Sticker that said, annoy the media. Reelect bush. I didnt write that, but i might have. I didnt remember that, but i do remember george was running for president on the freeway going from new york to connecticut i saw someone with a sign that said bush for president. I was so excited, and i raced my car up to be close to him. It turned out to be our cousin. I was hoping it was a stranger, but nobody knew who he was. Did you enjoy campaigning . Yes, i really like people. It was fun. I liked it funny things happened, and i enjoyed it. Partially because i knew he was the best man. I campaigned for george w. Knowing full well he wasnt going to win, and he did. Do you think there is room for another bush in the white house . I think this is a great country, and if we can find more than two or three families to run for a high office, that is silly, because there are great governors and great eligible people to run. I think the kennedys, the clintons, bushes, there are more families like that, and im not arrogant enough to think we are alone raising but we are raising public servants, whether they are feeding the poor, like laura is, who fed 60 million children around the world, or bringing Global Health to the world, pierces working for big brothers big sisters, there are a lot of ways to serve, the president is not the only one. I would hope somebody else would run. Although, ive questioned and my mine if jed is the best qualified to run for president , but i hope you wont. He will get all my enemies, all his brothers, and there are other families. I refused to accept that this great country isnt raising other wonderful people. Barbara bush, you walk in this first lady. In the sense of the blank slate where you can create your own agenda. Yes. I guess. Im not sure i know exactly what that means, but people are overly nice to me, and i feel it every single day. Bought my friends have to look for parking places. I dont have to look for parking places. My friends call me and say, would you mind taking me to whoever we are going, because they have to do those things. They have to wait in line at the airport. Yes, you cant create your own plan, and it is a great privilege, and you ought to take advantage of it, because you can help people. How do you pick your causes . Because i know truthfully, that every single problem in america would be better if more people could read, write, and comprehend. We would be able to compete with the rest of the world. We would not have these children committing crimes because their families do not have jobs. They do not have jobs because they cannot read. They cannot write. They cannot understand. That was such an easy project to pick. I admit, it took about a half a year to pick it, because i was always volunteering in hospitals, but there is no question in my mind. I think that every thinking american is coming to that conclusion. We have got to educate our children. We have got to educate their parents. It is not just a win. It is a necessity if we are going to compete in this world. Was there ever a day in the white house where you just wanted to say, no more, i am done. I quit . Never. How can you say that . Youve got 90 people whose only aim in life is to keep you happy. He is doing the right thing. He knew when he raised those taxes that he was going to lose the election, although he had been 90 approved. He did the right thing. Im very proud of my family that do the right thing. George bush both have done the right thing, like it or lump it. It is 20 minutes since youve been in the presidency. There has been a lot of talk in washington about acrimony between democrats and republicans. Is it different than it was 20 years ago . A little bit, yes. Probably more polarized. George says i, there are times when democrats are very far to the left and its one back to very far to the right, and then we get to where we should be, which is talking to each other and stability. Jeb was right about that. Republicans and democrats should be talking about what they are for, not what they are against. I really believe that and i believe they will again. The second floor, can be a home . If you had a home when you went into it, you have a home when you come out of it. We had a very loving family. When we went back to the white house, there was all the same fabulous staff. President obama, when we went this summer to the luncheon that he gave for us. In between the luncheon and giving up the five to thousand points he had all the former staff come. It was like family. We were loving seeing all the butlers and assures and flower people. It was just like family. Yes, they are family. We were fortunate enough to have them there for us. The reagans, and the georges presidency and for george w. Is there a sorority of a type among former first ladies and first ladies . Sort of. I think some are closer than others. Lady bird is gone. Pat nixon is gone. I was especially close to both ladies. I am a Great Respect or of mrs. Obama, michelle obama, and what she is doing. Obesity is a huge problem in our country, and she is working on the. Shes getting criticized for it. Governments should until you had to eat. While somebody has to tell these people what they eat. These children cannot be obese at a young age. It is not healthy. It costs the country. It is a horrible thing. We have got to make ourselves brighter, smarter, educated, and we have to educate our people on what to eat. She is growing vegetable gardens, so i have respect for that. What about your predecessor and your successor . My predecessor, nancy reagan, is a wonderful lady, and she worked very hard on drugs. And my successor, a great secretary of state. We did she work on . I guess, secretary of state. Your husband and bill clinton have become good friends. That is right. My husband, bill clinton and i have become good. Fronts they do not agree politically. But we dont talk politics. You have to understand. I read some place, before your critical of someone, you should remember that they did not have the advantages you have had as a child, a loving mother and father bills father was not around, and i think he thinks of george a little bit like the father he did not have. He is very loving to him, and i really appreciate that. When they went on that long tsunami trip, george told me bill insisted he state that he was taken care of. That was really nice. I love bill clinton. Maybe not his politics, but i love bill clinton. Barbara bush, you brought up your daughterinlaw, laura bush. We talked about the speech where she she had given which compared you to don corleone. From the godfather. Thats nice. You have been referred to as the enforcer of the bush family. Right. What do you think about that reputation . Im not thrilled about laura saying that. I deserve it. George is so anything i do is all right. But someone has to be sure that the standards are kept. He leads by example. I lead by denying some things, and i am the enforcer. There is no question about it. Do i like that role . No. Would i rather he had done it . Yes. But it did not work that way. 1990, wellesley college. This is a speech you gave. It was a difficult speech. They objected to my speech. Incidentally, it happened that gorbachev was coming with her husband, and i could not leave her, so i invited her to speak with me. I got highly criticized by them saying, she does not there come by herself. Shes taking her to protect her. It was a difficult speech. It turned out, there was one student from south america who we were treating to this great education, and a girl from maine. They are to before the speech, the girl from maine called and said, im so embarrassed this is built into a great thing. I was getting calls from president nixon saying, you tell those girls to go to the devil. I had a lot of people for me, but i did not want to get into spitting fight with the girls, but there it was. Rice, on the plane, going up, it was ridiculous, she did not speak any english. We had an interpreter, and she said, i said do you mind if i work on my speech a little bit . She said, are you giving a speech . I said, well you are as well. She said, i am . She went into the ladiesroom, and i said to the interpreter, doesnt she know shes giving a speech . He pulled the speech out of his pocket and said, she knows. I was very we worked very hard on it. I had given at four or five other colleges that same spring. University of pennsylvania, the university in st. Louis, community college. Nobody gave a darn, but because of the controversy, same ending, same everything. It made me, no question, because of the controversy, people paid attention. Margaret thatcher wrote me that it was the greatest speech she had ever heard. George hurt it in the white house. It was that high because of controversy. Is it not too bad . I became a great speaker that day. Who knows . Somewhere out in this audience, there may be even somebody who will one day following my footsteps and take over as the president s spouse, and i wish them well. applause you brought down the house with your closing line about the political wife what would be your advice for first spouse, first husband . Just be yourself. And see if you can watch your mouth. I had trouble with that. But i would say, just be yourself. And take advantage of the opportunity. I mean, i had lunches for deformed children, heart, arthritis, cancer nobody paid any attention except in the hometown where the doctor came from or the sick child came from and then you got great publicity out in the country. Thats where it counts. Who cares sorry broadcasters would say. What we cared about is that people know theyre being helped. Barbara bush, what should in your view people should know about first lady and her role that we dont know . I dont know. What you dont know. Seems to, me i know everything about the first lady. I think the first thing the first lady ought to know if she was not elected president , nor was elected president , nor was elected congressmans wife. I think you ought to know that youre not an elected official, but that you have an opportunity to do a lot of good things, and you ought to take that opportunity. In fact, in your book, you write that, i am not too sure the American Public likes the spouse to be two front and center. Well, i think thats probably true. They did not elect her. But i think they like her to do good things. But im not too sure they want her to be two front and center. She was not elected. Contrary to popular belief. What do you remember about your first day in the white house and your last day in the white house . My first day in the white house. You mean walking in from the receiving . Oh you know we reviewed the parade. I remember we had huge family, and i remember the twins. Theyre not going to like this, but going with the babysitter down to the Bowling Alley and ordering a meal. We were getting ready to go to the ball and we had the whole family gathered for a very large sort of buffet meal. I said, where the twins . Were all leaning. A said there in the Bowling Alley ordering hamburgers. They came right up laughing. But i remember being surrounded and seeing everybody at the ball and how pretty they looked and what fun they were having. I mean they were all over the white house, those children. What about you lost . A last day, our children left town. They did not want to be around for that. It was very moving and saying goodbye to the white house staff was difficult. We never drunk we would be back. It was hard. But life goes on. We got on a plane with all our friends and family and flew back home. And the welcome here was unbelievable. We passed a pick up truck on the highway where there were two people standing on the back with a sign that said, welcome home george and barbara, and that brought huge tears on my part. They have been great to us ever. Since you have been here in this house 20 years in houston. When we moved in, we lived two doors down in a great friends house that he was going to tear down and build a house. He built next door, next property it was his old house. We moved in there and the neighbors all planted the guard and so he came home to a garden. It was wonderful. It just was very nice. We unpacked the boxes all perfect. Mrs. Bush, how important will camp david especially during the white house years . Camp david made such a difference, because theyre the president could really meet with people without a lot of fanfare. A lot of people came up, businessmen, cabinet makers. I remember a Big Education group coming up and talking to george. I just remember that every weekend. We had meetings and then the afternoons, he