A Visit With Laura Bush

Party Crashers

SL: That reminds me, were you surprised by the party crashers at the Obama White House?

LB: I was. It was a shock when I saw it on the news. But I also think those people were unbelievable cons.

SL: On a more serious note, you spent a lot of time as First Lady comforting people. Was that draining for you, emotionally and spiritually?

LB: It was especially difficult after September 11. We had all these families who had lost somebody: 3,000 deaths, multiplied by all those family members and friends. Trying to comfort people then was emotionally draining and anxiety-producing. And once our troops went into Afghanistan and then Iraq, I worried about that, too. Not every First Lady has to serve when our nation is at war.

SL: How afraid were you, personally, after the attacks on September 11?

LB: I wasn't really afraid personally. Every precaution was taken to keep the president safe, so I benefitted from that. Besides, I'm not a fearful person. It's not in my nature. But I also [engage in] a little bit of fatalistic thinking: If your number is up, it's up.