The Grace and Humor of Laura Bush

I came across this ol' video (ten minutes) of Laura at the 2005 White House Correspondents' Dinner:



You've probably seen this video before, Gentle Reader, as it made quite the splash back in 2005. The link to the video was in this Forbes article: "In Praise of Laura Bush," which is worth a read in and of itself. I agree with most of what's in the article (there ARE certain exceptions and if you chase the link you'll see what I mean, given I'm a 27-percenter) and I most especially agree with Mr. Varadarajan's closing graf:

My guess, as America changes, is that the Laura Bush type will fade away, and that more and more first ladies will be (however one interprets the phrase) "people in their own right"--and thus, potentially, a huge pain to the body politic. (Think Cherie Blair ...) There is some danger that Michelle Obama, a forthright and independent woman, could hew more to the Hillary model than to the Laura Bush way --although her demeanor in the election campaign suggests that she's not unaware of the public boundaries that Hillary, as first lady, failed to respect. And if Mrs. Obama really, really is, as I quote her saying (above), "taking some cues" from Mrs. Bush, then President Obama will be a very lucky man.

Long time readers know I have a huge crush on Mrs. Bush. I keep wondering how Michelle Obama is "gonna follow that act," as they say in show-biz. Coz Laura is indeed a hard act to follow in the First Lady department. I'm gonna miss that woman.