Photo: Lauren Gerson
When she wrote the following diary entry in October of 1992, First Lady Barbara Bush had been living at the White House for more than three years and was accustomed to the constant scrutiny and pace of political life. Exactly a month later, as she predicted, Bill Clinton won the presidential election and ousted the Bush family from the White House, only to be replaced in 2001 by another branch of the same tree, George W. Bush. It was then that Barbara Bush became only the second woman, after Abigail Adams, to be both the wife and the mother of a U.S. president.
The Diary Entry
October 3—This morning I am absolutely convinced that George is going to lose. It is wrong, but all the press are printing such negative things. I will miss the White House life, but I can already feel a little splurge of excitement about going home to Neil and Sharon, friends, to play golf, and to setting up a home in Houston. I could die for my George, who has been a superb president and will go down in history as a great leader for the free world. The momentum is so strong against him.
Further Reading
As far as I can tell, Barbara Bush’s diaries are yet to be published in a standalone volume. However, some entries appear in a couple of books: The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty by Susan Page, and Barbara Bush: A Memoir By Barbara Bush.
Also…
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