Former First Lady "Totally Forgot" President's Address to Congress

I'm really surprised that you don't watch the State of the Union Addresses. Annie

It's time out of my life I'd rather keep to myself. I typically watch the highlights the following night. For the most part they just rehash the same things they've already said many times. There are never any surprises.

I wasn't MAD at anybody, not at all. I just found it interesting that Laura had said she'd forgotten. I don't mean that in a bad way either. I wonder that about all former First Ladies or other members of a President's family - they live their lives in a fishbowl for all those years and then it's back to "normal", if you can ever have a normal life after that. Annie

She probably did; the other day the President was on tv again but I didnt see it myself; Plus let's think about this. The Bushes were probably trying their best to move back into their home; They have been gone for eight years due to George's presidency, and with no one telling you that you have to do this or have to do that, I wouldnt want to see a press conference, a State of the Union or nothing again if it was up to me. And I hope I wasn't being accusatory when I made my earlier comment. She's a free bird now, she don't owe nothing to no one.

I certainly agree that whichever makes any of our former First Ladies happy is certainly fine and they all spend a long enough time living in that fish bowl you mentioned. As I told a previous poster, I hadn't been aware of Barbara Bush's surgery until after I'd started this discussion and days after I'd first heard of Laura's comments regarding the new President's speech. I did NOT mean any sort of disrespect towards either of the Bush First Ladies, believe me. I don't know if Barbara's pre-scheduled surgery had been made public prior to last night but that was when I first heard of it, after it had ended. Annie

they did not announce it that I know of til she was already in the hospital. They did that I guess to keep the press down so she could have some privacy. I know you did not mean anything against her or the Barbara. I thought it was a little unusual til I heard about Barbara being in the hospital.Looks like the Bush's have a lot of health issues going on right now (including Bush Sr) so Laura probly has her hands full. Or she just might be completely sick of politics after 8 years in the white house and just wants a complete break from it. Who knows.

You may be right. Annie

It is just that you have been questioning the motives of other people, like for instance, Sarah Palin, that it seems that you put the discussion maybe to say something unkind about Laura Bush's not attending or not being interested in Obama's speech as if as the former first lady she definitely should not have been there. And it also makes me suspect that if she was there, you might question why she said such a statement or why she did not smile when she shook his hand, etc. And besides, it makes it look that Laura Bush can only miss Obama's address to the Congress only if she had a very good reason, like illness in the family, etc.

Suspenseful, I think your response was totally uncalled for. I said nothing derogatory about the former First Lady and I didn't start this discussion to criticize her or put her down. It was probably a fairly natural thing that the reporter interviewing her about her life since leaving the White House would ask if she'd seen the man who replaced her husband give his first speech to the Joint Sessions of Congress. If she'd have chosen to watch the speech on her own TV in the privacy of her own home she wouldn't have been in the limelight and she certainly wouldn't have been - nor SHOULD she have been - videotaped for her reaction! Anyway, it's certainly no law that anyone has to watch any President's speeches! For my part, I simply found it interesting that the former First Lady, who had been thrust into the limelight whether she liked it or not for the past 8 years of her life - considerably longer if you count the campaign - had forgotten about the yearly speech that had been such an important part of her life in recent years. I didn't mean it in a bad or disrespectful way at all. Heck, I can't say that I blame her at all for putting Washington politics as far from her mind as possible. Annie

suspenseful asks,"But is it a law that one has to watch Obama's speeches?" Not yet. But he's only been President for a couple of months.

The bit of sarcasm I seem to detect here really isn't necessary since I hadn't even been aware of Barbara Bush's surgery until after I started this discussion. I certainly wish her nothing but the best. Annie

I'm sorry, Rodney, I didn't mean to jump on you there, I really hadn't heard of Barbara Bush's surgery until later last night. I do understand everyone, including former First Ladies, has their own personal lives and family matters that take center stage, as well they should. Annie

Annie, It wasn't really intended to be sarcastic but rather to point out that people do have other things in their lives that don't pertain to a presidential address. Still, she may have been like me and avoided it purposefully.