Marlo Thomas | 11/20/2008 11:00 pm

Marlo Thomas: Mr. Bush Is Bad for Laura's Book Sales

In response to: Are you interested in reading Laura Bush's upcoming autobiography? Why or why not?

Laura Bush wrote an essay in one of my books, and I was happy to discover that she’s a pretty earthy woman. Her story was about one of her earliest memories of lying on a blanket with her mother on their front lawn, looking up at the sky. "And what a sky it was," she wrote. "Mother knew some of the constellations, and she would point them out to me. But mostly we would just gaze up and talk." She carried on that tradition of enjoying the galaxy with her own daughters years later. That gave me a peek into what seems a very good woman and mother. Still, I probably won’t read her book. I’m really not interested in hearing one word more about HIM.

Read more about: George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Politics, Society

21 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Here! Here! Three Cheers for Beth Willis! I guess you can tell I agree with you.

By Murphy Mac on 11/21/2008 4:30 pm

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A fan of That Girl? There is your problem. That Girl was a character in a sitcom portrayed by the future Mrs Phil (sellout)Donahue in the 60s, not a real person. That must be the problem. You’re confusing fact with fiction. A lot of democratic liberals have that same problem from what I read. Maybe if you opened your mind and read a bit more you would know that and damn you might learn something.

By Dubs Mate on 11/24/2008 12:27 pm

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Reply to Dubs Mate: Yes, I was a fan of That Girl. What does that have to do with the tea in China? Your sarcasm is so unnecessary. I don’t know why you are so upset. Again, what problem? Being a Democratic Liberal, and being in good company, like Whoopi Goldberg (whom I see you also like, as I do) does not mean I can’t understand fact from fiction. You made a sweeping generalization by saying “democratic liberals have that same problem from what I read”. Does that include Whoopi? How do you know if my mind is open or not? What would you like to see me read that you read and then, we’ll compare notes. Having been a teacher of exceptional children (I saw you too like children) for 30+ years, I’ve had to do quite a bit of reading. In fact, I taught children how to read. I think you must have just wanted to start a row with me by bringing up That Girl and using it as a jumping off point to disagree with my not wanting to read Mrs. Bush’s book and defending Marlo’s right not to read it either. Have you read Mrs. Bush’s book or Marlo’s? If you didn’t read Marlo’s, was that by your own choice? Why not ask if Whoopi is going to read Mrs. Bush’s book or Marlo’s books for that matter? Do you really want everyone to read Mrs. Bush’s book?

By Murphy Mac on 11/24/2008 1:41 pm

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All of the profits from Marlo’s book sales went to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, so I don’t think any dough went into her pocket. President Bush is the worst president in U.S. history, and I applaud Marlo for ripping him publicly. She simply stated she didn’t want to read in Laura Bush’s book a lot of mushy stuff about a man who’s driven this country into the ground. Marlo, this is for you, an event I attended in October: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVpz28ICNc0

By James the Game on 11/23/2008 9:43 am

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I was surprised a few years back to hear that Laura Bush considers herself to be a feminist, not only because of the right-wing negatives surrounding the word, but because in all of her years as First Lady she has failed to make even one women’s issue her very own. How is it possible that in eight years, Laura Bush is not synonymous with even a single issue? Where exactly does Laura Bush stand on such issues as equal pay, job discrimination, reproductive rights, universal health care, and ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment? While Laura is a mystery when it comes to such issues, her silence over the years is quite telling. I often wonder where Laura Bush was in the days following Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast. We know Condi was buying shoes and taking in a Broadway show, Cheney was vacationing, and husband George couldn’t be bothered. But where was Laura as the world watched with horror while our elderly and young were dying in the streets? Did she even make an attempt to get her husband off his butt to help these people, or did she just remain silent as she typically has throughout the past decade? Laura Bush had a wonderful opportunity to make her mark and to inspire millions. And yet in many ways, Laura has been very much like her husband in that she has failed to use her position of leadership to actually lead. While I enjoy reading a good autobiography, I have no interest in reading an autobiography penned by Laura Bush. I have had my fill of Bush spin to last a lifetime.

By I.M. Kane on 11/23/2008 11:30 am