Spoken from the Heart

by Laura Bush

  A number of individuals and institutions provided key assistance in preparing this book for publication, including Chris Michel in the Office of George W. Bush; the Honorable Stephen Hadley; Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad; Senator Judd Gregg; Jo Shuffler; Mary Jones, chief of staff of the Senate Rules Committee; Harry Ogg and the library research staff of the Midland County Public Library; Judy Bezjak, historian of the 555th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion; Leslie Meyer of the Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas; Brent Glass, director of the National Museum of American History, and his curators; Ernie Allen of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; Jim Wallwork; the Office of the President's Malaria Initiative; Ambassador Mark Dybul; Tonia Wood and Jessica Tucker of the Texas State Library and Archives; Colonel Gregory Woods of the White House Military Office; and John Meyers.

  Finally, I am grateful to my dedicated current staff; to my chief of staff, Charity Wallace, who spent eight years working in the administration, many of them as the director of my advance team, where her hard work and commitment were invaluable; as well as to my personal aide, Molly Soper. Their excellent work and dedication to this project have been invaluable. My special thanks to them and to everyone else who contributed to bringing this book to fruition.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Numerous books, articles, and papers were consulted during the course of preparing this book. The most significant books are listed below. In addition, I relied heavily on my private papers and the block and daily schedules from my office as First Lady of the United States and First Lady of Texas, as well as schedules and papers from the presidency of George W. Bush. I am particularly appreciative that Andi Ball and Anita McBride, my two chiefs of staff, shared their private notes and papers with me during the preparation of the manuscript, as did others on my White House staff, including press secretaries Susan Whitson and Sally McDonough and my then-director of advance, Charity Wallace. Also Lea Berman, Amy Zantzinger, Lindsey Knutson, and Amy Allman shared their own private notes and materials. In addition, United Nations and UNICEF studies on Afghanistan provided useful background information. And the powerful and detailed reporting of the New Orleans Times-Picayune was particularly helpful in refreshing my memory on Katrina and its aftermath.

  A note as well for future researchers: significant parts of the overall presidential timeline from 9-11 and a few parts of the timeline from Katrina are incomplete. The 9-11 Commission cited in its final report its concerns with record keeping for the location of the president and other key government officials on that day, and in fact some time logs kept that day have up to a one-hour discrepancy. In addition, human memory is faulty. Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Judd Gregg, and I all independently recalled spending hours together at the U.S. Senate that morning. In fact, the entire time was about one hour or slightly less, according to the best estimates of the reconstructed official logs.

  George's presidency was also the first electronic presidency, meaning that its documents were all electronically archived, but in some cases, during my travels, I added unscheduled stops that were not always noted on the original logs. Where there are differences with the official trip logs, this book should be considered as the definitive source.

  "Ancestry of Laura Welch Bush, First Lady of the United States of America." Family History Library. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah, 2002 (unpublished).

  Angelo, Bonnie. First Families: The Impact of the White House on Their Lives. New York: Morrow, 2005.

  Anthony, Carl Sferrazza. America's First Families: An Inside View of 200 Years of Private Life in the White House. New York: Touchstone, 2000.

  Blair, Cherie. Speaking for Myself: My Life from Liverpool to Downing Street. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.

  Bonnifield, Matthew Paul. The Dust Bowl: Men, Dirt, and Depression. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1979.

  Bush, Barbara. Barbara Bush: A Memoir. New York: Scribner, 1994.

  Clemens, Gus. Legacy: The Story of the Permian River Basin Region of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. San Antonio: Mulberry Avenue Books, 1983.

  Cochran, Mike, and John Lumpkin. West Texas: A Portrait of Its People and Their Raw and Wondrous Land. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press, 1999.

  Fehrenbach, T. R. Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans. New York: Da Capo Press, 2000.

  Filkins, Dexter. The Forever War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.

  Firestone, Caroline Hudson. Afghanistan in Transition. New York: New Hudson Foundation, 2009.

  Fleming, Candace. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008.

  Franks, Tommy. American Soldier. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.

  Griffin, John Howard. Land of High Sky. Midland, Texas: First National Bank of Midland, 1959.

  Hoegh, Leo A., and Howard J. Doyle. Timberwolf Tracks: The History of the 104th Infantry Division, 1942-1945. Washington, D.C.: Infantry Journal Press, 1946.

  Metz, Leon Claire. City at the Pass: An Illustrated History of El Paso. Woodland, California: Windsor Publications, 1980.

  Nader, Ralph. Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-in Dangers of the American Automobile. New York: Grossman, 1972.

  The New Handbook of Texas. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1996.

  Payne, Darwin. Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity in the 20th Century. Dallas: Three Forks Press, 2000.

  Pickens, Jennifer. Christmas at the White House. Dallas: Fife and Drum Press, 2009.

  Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.

  Seale, William. The President's House. Vols. 1-2. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: In association with the White House Historical Association, 2008.

  Sirleaf, Ellen Johnson. This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.

  Sonnichsen, C. L. Pass of the North: Four Centuries on the Rio Grande. El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1968.

  Storey, John W., and Mary L. Kelley, eds. Twentieth-Century Texas: A Social and Cultural History. Denton, Texas: University of North Texas Press, 2008.

  Timmons, W. H. El Paso: A Borderlands History. El Paso: University of Texas at El Paso, 1990.

  Truman, Margaret. The President's House: 1800 to the Present; The Secrets and History of the World's Most Famous Home. New York: Ballantine Books, 2005.

  U.S. Congress. House. Select Bipartisan Committee. A Failure of Initiative. 109th Cong., 2nd sess., 2006. H. Res. 437.

  U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared. 109th Cong., 2nd sess., 2006. S. Rept. 109-322.

  Wead, Doug. All the Presidents' Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of America's First Families. New York: Atria Books, 2003.

  Welty, Eudora. One Writer's Beginnings. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995.

  West, J. B. Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1973.

  The White House. The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned. http://georgewbush-whitehousearchives.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned. Washington, D.C., 2006.

  Woodward, Bob. Bush at War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.

  --------. Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account of the Decision to Invade Iraq. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

  Worster, Donald. Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.

  INDEX

  Abdullah, King of Saudi Arabia, 181, 216, 256, 319, 320, 399, 412

  abortion, 302-3

  Abu Dhabi, 396-97

  Abu Ghraib prison, 300

  Abu Sir, 324-25

  Acadian Ambulance, 340-41

  Adams, John, 170, 220, 243, 272

  Adams, John Quincy, 170, 243

  Adopt-A-Caseworker, 142-43

&
nbsp; Afghan Children's Fund, 231

  Afghanistan War, 207, 212, 217-18, 219, 225, 231-38, 241, 245, 250-54, 255, 259-60, 263, 273, 275, 276-88, 294, 298, 300, 304-5, 311-18, 339, 367-68, 376, 384, 401, 413-15, 418, 421-22, 432

  Afghanistan Women's Association, 253

  Afghan Women and Children Relief Act (2001), 251

  Africa, 328-34, 352, 356, 360-63, 391-92, 407-8, 421; see also specific countries

  Africa Education Initiative, 362

  African Americans, 54, 72-73, 78-79, 82-83, 87-88, 226-27, 250, 280-81, 318, 327-28, 352-53, 365-66, 406

  Agency for International Development, U.S. (USAID), 314, 414

  AIDS, 187, 295, 328-34, 356, 363, 373, 377, 391-92, 408, 422

  Air Force One, 191, 198, 202, 203, 297, 367

  Alamo, 30, 54, 136, 246

  Alamshahi, Mary Chopan, 252

  Alcott, Louisa May, 41, 263

  Alexander, Gabrielle, 342, 343

  Alice M. Harte Elementary School, 363-64

  Allen, Debbie, 190

  al Qaeda, 229, 248, 278, 293

  Altshuler, Ruth, 345

  Alzheimer's disease, 131-33, 137-38

  Ambrose, Kenneth and Sharon, 248-49, 254

  Ambrose, Paul, 248-49, 254

  Ambrose, Stephen, 169

  American Heart Month, 380

  American University of Afghanistan, 122, 315, 414

  America's Fund for Afghan Children, 250-51

  Amoudi, Samia al-, 397

  Ana's Story (J. Bush), 392

  Anderson, Karl, 266

  Anderson, Sherwood, 266

  Andover Academy, 101, 106, 146

  Andrews Air Force Base, 171, 235, 312, 317, 373, 426

  Annan, Kofi, 252, 380-81

  Annan, Nane, 252

  anthrax attacks (2001), 218-20, 230, 231, 250

  April 1865 (Winik), 250

  Arbusto Energy, 115

  Argel, Derek, 313

  Armstrong, Anne and Tobin, 255-56

  Ashcroft, John, 209

  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, 188, 227

  Atwater, Lee, 120

  Australia, 197, 284, 305

  Ayenda Foundation, 413-14

  Ba'ath Party, 278, 293

  Babalwa (African woman), 330

  Baker, James and Susan, 95, 394

  Bali bombings (2002), 295

  Ball, Andi, 136, 141, 156, 197, 206, 251, 288, 311, 425, 429

  Bamiyan Buddhas, 257, 399, 413

  Ban Ki-moon, 393-94

  Barbour, Haley, 338, 364

  Barney (LWB's dog), 147, 167, 193, 203, 205, 243-44, 274, 310, 360, 381, 402

  Barno, David, 317

  Battle, Kathleen, 409

  Beamer, David, 304

  Beamer, Lisa, 211-12

  Beamer, Todd, 211-12, 304

  Beijing Summer Olympics (2008), 416, 418-19

  Benedict XVI, Pope, 366, 409-10

  Bennett, Elayne, 226

  Benson, Ray, 197

  Berman, Lea, 289, 311, 389

  Bernstein, Andi, 127, 182, 214

  Bernstein, Tom, 127, 182

  Besser, Mitchell, 329, 330

  Best Friends, 226

  Bethany World Prayer Center, 341

  Betts, Lois, 124, 127, 282

  Betts, Roland, 282

  Bible, 116, 118, 144-45, 170-71, 209, 213, 218, 276, 313, 320, 322, 323, 381, 394, 411, 412

  Biden, Joe, 277, 278

  Billington, James, 194, 401, 423

  bin Laden, Osama, 207, 212, 245, 317, 386

  Birdwell, Brian, 208

  Blackaller, Cathie, 52, 299, 395

  Blair, Cherie, 177, 178-79, 187, 191-92, 220, 255, 300, 327, 331-32, 333, 366, 415

  Blair, Euan, 187, 192

  Blair, Tony, 177, 178-79, 191-92, 211, 212, 220, 230, 255, 283-84, 296-97, 327, 415

  Blake, James, 381

  Blanco, Kathleen, 338, 339, 343

  Blasingame, Ken, 175-76, 230

  Bloom, David, 353

  Bo (LWB's dog), 23

  Bodman, Diane and Samuel, 407

  Bolten, Josh, 204, 425, 429

  Borel, Calvin, 390

  Boston Globe, 352

  Botella de Aznar, Ana, 188

  Bowles, Hamish, 184

  Boyd, James, 107

  Boyle, Gregory, 354-56

  Bradshaw, Phil, 213

  Bradshaw, Sandy, 213

  breast cancer, 258-59, 299, 395-98, 412, 421

  Brice, Mary, 76

  Brinker, Nancy, 128, 258-59

  Brodhead, Richard, 301

  Brokaw, Tom, 219

  Brown, Iran, 273

  Brown, Marc, 293

  Brown, Michael, 338

  Brown, Sandra, 161

  Bruni, Carla, 400

  Bryant, Kobe, 418-19

  Buchanan, Pat, 128

  Bullock, Bob, 136, 146, 186

  Bullock, Jan, 141-42

  Bully (LWB's dog), 7, 17, 21-22, 35

  Bumiller, Elisabeth, 354

  Burch, Therese, 316

  Burma, 392-94, 404, 410-11, 415, 416-18, 421, 422

  Burnett, Deena and Thomas, 213

  Burns, Ken, 280

  Bush, Barbara, 25, 63, 64, 106-13, 123-34, 137, 140, 145, 146, 154-58, 167-78, 183, 184, 187, 190, 194, 200, 202, 205, 212, 222, 228, 229, 249, 262, 273, 275-76, 282-85, 288, 297, 300-307, 323-24, 328-29, 361, 365, 366, 370, 383, 394, 402, 411, 416, 424, 426, 429

  Bush, Barbara Pierce, 72, 95, 97, 100, 106, 110, 113, 123-25, 128, 146, 153, 159, 160, 161, 164, 166, 167, 174, 176, 181, 197, 255, 296, 297, 308-9, 323-24, 347, 389, 411, 426, 430

  Bush, Columba, 95, 106-13, 146, 180, 410

  Bush, Doro, 129, 163, 384, 410, 424

  Bush, George H. W.: campaign of (1980), 102-3, 156, 301; campaign of (1984), 112; campaign of (1988), 118, 119-26, 128-30, 153, 156, 159, 209, 394; campaign of (1992), 149, 156, 169; as congressman, 99, 122; as father, 110, 112-13, 354; health of, 128, 153; LWB's views on, 95, 97, 112-13, 119-23, 125, 135, 146, 174, 183, 197, 246, 297, 308, 318, 411, 426, 430; as president, 128-29, 132, 140, 164, 168, 169, 174, 175, 176, 177, 222, 255, 383, 413-14, 430; as representative to China, 419; as Republican, 112, 128-29; Senate campaign of (1970), 94, 99; as vice president, 103, 107, 112-13, 118, 119-20, 126, 156, 370; in World War II, 291, 389-90

  Bush, George W.: approval ratings of, 274, 352; background of, 99, 101; birthday of, 145-46; campaign of (2000), 63, 151, 152-64, 170, 216, 302; campaign of (2004), 163, 298-307, 349; childhood of, 43, 48, 72; congressional race of (1978), 98-102, 115, 153, 216; drinking given up by, 117-19, 160, 187; education of, 50, 101, 106, 354, 429; family of, 98, 99, 112-13, 123-25, 170-71, 174, 302-3, 377, 424; as father, 106-13, 118, 275-76; financial situation of, 114-16, 151, 185-86; in GHWB's presidential campaign (1988), 119-26; as governor of Texas, 63, 122, 134-46, 160-64, 169, 171, 175, 246, 352, 386; gubernatorial race of (1998), 129, 130, 132, 151, 160, 233, 298, 399; health of, 118, 119, 129, 153; inaugurations of, 168-69, 309; at Kennebunkport, Maine, 95, 112-13, 118, 124-25, 255, 400; LWB's first meeting with, 49, 94-95; LWB's marriage to, 43, 95-97, 102, 106-13, 117-19, 135, 212, 429-32; media coverage of, 107, 133-34, 153, 159, 162-63, 166, 170, 178, 199, 236-37, 384-86, 420; in Midland, Tex., 43, 48, 94-122, 126, 429; oil business of, 94, 98, 102, 113-16, 118, 122, 126; personality of, 97, 99, 117-19, 160, 275-76; photographs of, 195, 427; post-presidential life of, 429-32; as president, 107-8, 146, 164, 245-47, 249, 260-62, 263, 264-65, 273, 373-74, 381-86, 421-22, 424-26; presidential library of, 430, 431; religious faith of, 116, 118, 159, 276, 334; as Republican, 99, 100, 152-64, 179-80, 212, 273-74, 281, 289, 290, 311, 383, 420; speeches by, 102, 182-83, 211-12, 309; staff of, 179-80, 263, 291, 350, 370, 424-26, 429; "surge" policy of, 382-83, 401-2, 404, 421, 425; in Texas Air National Guard, 276; as United Way chairman, 106-7

  Bush, Jeb, 39, 95, 129-30, 134, 141, 146, 161, 180, 410

  Bush, Jenna, 25, 63, 64, 123-34, 137, 145, 146, 154-58, 167-78, 184, 186-87, 190, 200, 202, 205, 212, 223, 228, 236, 238, 249, 256, 262, 273, 275-76, 282-
85, 288, 297, 300-307, 323-24, 328-29, 332, 365, 370, 383, 391-92, 402, 411-12, 424, 426, 429, 430

  Bush, Laura Welch: auto accident of, 58-67, 71, 82, 95, 134, 156-57; birthday of, 1, 95, 103, 145, 191; birth of, 3-4, 15; brokerage house job of, 86, 89, 90; childhood of, 3-67, 349-50; clothing and dresses worn by, 31, 75-76, 79-80, 95, 135, 186, 194, 296, 378-79; congressional staff position sought by, 84-85; correspondence of, 45, 65, 207-8, 218-20, 230; Crawford, Tex., ranch of (Prairie Chapel Ranch), 149-52, 154-55, 162-63, 167, 179, 181-82, 186, 190, 193, 202, 227, 228, 230, 235-37, 255, 256, 273, 291, 297, 366-67, 411-12, 415, 427, 429-32; cultural initiatives of, 141-45, 175-76, 190, 193, 228-29, 245-47, 264, 280-82, 293-94, 349-58, 405-7, 422-23; dating by, 49, 50-51, 55-56, 58, 71-72, 73, 75-76, 90; democratic ideals of, 236-37, 318-20, 324, 398; education initiatives of, 180-81, 193, 218, 226-27, 247-48, 256-57, 263-64, 274, 280, 293-95, 300-301, 314, 324-25, 343, 345-58, 362-65, 369, 373, 375, 405-6, 412-13, 432; education of, 37-40, 44, 45, 46, 49-50, 51, 54-58, 66-67, 71-72, 74-81, 90, 114, 116, 231-32; as first lady, 107-8, 164-426; French ancestry of, 31, 77; friendships of, 34, 37, 49-50, 52-54, 61, 79, 80, 81, 82, 89-90, 92-93, 216, 266-67, 282, 310-11, 365, 402-3; as Girl Scout, 45-46, 47, 349-50; health of, 106-7, 382, 390-91; interviews given by, 168, 186, 188, 286, 302-3, 353-54, 366; as librarian, 90, 91-92, 93, 95, 101, 121, 143, 264, 306; marriage of, 43, 95-97, 102, 106-13, 117-19, 135, 212, 429-32; media coverage of, 63, 91, 140, 149, 153, 156-57, 162-63, 168, 178, 184-87, 188, 199, 207, 211, 234-38, 251, 275, 286, 302-3, 320, 322, 324, 325-27, 351-54, 366, 377-78, 394; as Methodist, 11, 36, 40-41, 58, 63, 65, 97, 128; Midland, Tex., as hometown of, 3-18, 21, 41-44, 55-56, 59, 67, 71-72, 76, 79, 94-122, 135, 146, 156, 185, 231-32, 276, 299, 309-10, 381, 405, 419, 429; in Moscow, 260, 261, 293-94; as mother, 63, 64, 103-13, 123-34, 137, 140, 145, 146, 154-58, 167-78, 302-3; as nearsighted, 37-38, 49, 62, 88, 122-23, 156, 292; as only child, 3-6, 30, 40, 45-46, 51, 124-25; personality of, 40, 45-46, 99, 101, 168; photographs of, ii, 1, 7, 69, 86, 104, 147, 195, 239, 335, 427;