Laura Bush Criticizes Excessive Partisanship, Praises Obama

Former first lady Laura Bush has lamented excessive partisanship and defended President Barack Obama in an interview with CNN that will probably cause her to be labeled a RINO who just doesn’t get in some parts of the talk radio political culture.

In fact, in the interview she shows that she not only does get it but is quite astute politically about the trending in Washington. She also provides an insight into one of the factors that perhaps caused her husband to adopt his own criticized political style.

Here are the relevant parts of the wide-ranging interview:

Former first lady Laura Bush praised the performance of her husband’s successor Monday, breaking with many Republicans in telling CNN that she thinks President Obama is doing a good job under tough circumstance.

She also criticized Washington’s sharp political divide during an interview covering a range of topics….

The typically reserved former first lady defended Obama’s decision to deliver a back-to-school speech to students, putting her at odds with many conservatives afraid that the president will use the opportunity to advance his political agenda.

“I think he is [doing a good job],” Bush said when asked to assess Obama’s job performance. “I think he has got a lot on his plate, and he has tackled a lot to start with, and that has probably made it more difficult.”

Michelle Obama is also “doing great,” she said, in part by turning the White House into a comfortable home for her family.

Bush didn’t completely dismiss the concerns of some conservatives but noted that controversial Education Department plans recommending that students draft letters discussing what they can do to help Obama had been changed.

“I think there is a place for the president … to talk to schoolchildren and encourage” them, she said. Parents should follow his example and “encourage their own children to stay in school and to study hard and to try to achieve the dream that they have.”

Bush indicated that she didn’t think it was fair for Obama to be labeled a “socialist” by critics and expressed her disappointment with the intensely polarized nature of contemporary American politics.

But it’s clear she has been thinking about the “why” of this:

Part of the reason for the polarization, she said, was the increase in the number of congressional districts dominated by either strongly conservative or liberal voters.

“We’ve seen that for the last eight years, certainly, and we’re still seeing it,” she said. “That’s just a fact of life.”

Bush conceded that after her husband was elected president, he was unable to replicate his success as governor of Texas in reaching across the aisle to Democrats.

“He was disappointed that that was not the way it worked out in Washington,” she said. “I’m sure President Obama didn’t expect it to be that way [either]. … All of us need to do what we can to come together on issues.”

What? Respecting and working with “the enemy?” (Time for Rush and Glenn to diss the Bushes as not being real Republicans..)

PERSONAL NOTE: I can attest to what she said about Bush in Texas. When Bush was governor I did many shows in Texas, once spending nearly 6 weeks in that wonderful state. Republicans and Democrats (and I met several Democrats who were extensively involved in state politics or had spouses deeply involved in it) praised GWB for his ability to talk to both sides and affability. One Democrat sadly noted:”The Governor has done some things right but the downside is that his being in office has led to so many Democrats being replaced by conservative Republicans in elections and by appointment.” Bush was considered a skilled politician who was well-liked and had expanded his party’s brand name due to the way he operated and the way Democrats responded to his overtures and olive branches.

Among other things in the interview, Laura Bush defended her husband’s record on foreign affairs and said former Vice President Dick Cheney has a right to speak out and defend the previous administration, and that his defense is appreciated.

What is the larger significance of her comments? Two things: