New York – On Monday, Laura Bush convened an international conference on literacy. Tuesday, she hosted a roundtable aimed at prodding the United Nations into action on the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, the country also known as Burma.
Wednesday, she addressed the Clinton Global Initiative.
And today, she is to receive a major international award.
By any measure, it is a busy week. It is particularly so for a first lady praised by some admirers as the “anti-Hillary” for her seeming preference for eschewing controversy and for embracing a more traditional role as first lady.
“Any one of those events on their own for a first lady is significant,” said Anita McBride, Laura Bush’s chief of staff. “Together, they are profound.”
Laura Bush has proved to be a popular and comforting presence during the nearly six years that her husband has served as president.
But she has mostly steered clear of a sustained public policy role, even as she has quietly championed issues close to her heart, including literacy, education, combating HIV and the rights of women.
Her portfolio is no different – or more controversial – this week.
But her sustained presence at the center of the world stage is unprecedented, which White House aides are promoting in the belief that her emerging profile can only help bolster President Bush’s sagging popularity.
Meanwhile, the first lady, once a reluctant campaigner, has established herself as a fundraising force for the GOP.
In the current election cycle, she has appeared at 33 political events, raising nearly $12.4 million – a substantial increase over 2002, according to the Republican National Committee.
“I think she is the most popular Republican in the country right now,” said Myra Gutin, a first-lady historian at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. “I think the public-relations value is tremendous.”
