First Lady 'is White House Power Broker'

摘要：Laura Bush plays a much greater role in shaping White House policy, appointments and even budgets than previously acknowledged.美国第一夫人劳拉·布什对白宫政治所产生的影响力远比人们以往想象的更大。下周即将在美国上市的新书《劳拉·布什：第一夫人的隐私肖像》描写了“贤妻良母”面纱之下真实的劳拉。

Laura Bush plays a much greater role in shaping White House policy, appointments and even budgets than previously acknowledged.

Mrs Bush, 59, has stayed largely in the background for the past five years. White House advisers have portrayed her as the "non-Hillary" - a reference to her predecessor, Mrs Clinton, who made no secret of her interest in public policy during her eight years as First Lady.

But a different picture of the influence the quietly spoken former Texas librarian exerts on her husband, President George W Bush, emerges in Laura Bush: An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady, to be published in America next week by Random House.

"The Bush administration asks for her opinion, and for any suggestions that she might have, on possible appointments and on issues affecting a range of agencies dealing with subjects which she has committed herself to promoting, or in which she has a strong interest," says its author, Ronald Kessler, who has been granted unprecedented access to family insiders and senior administration figures.

These issues include education, the arts, women's rights, and Aids. Because of her, Kessler says, budgets for some agencies have been increased or spared from cuts.

Kessler also claims that Mrs Bush vetoed an appointment to a senior political post, but has refused to give further details before the book is published.

Last year, in a rare public pronouncement, Mrs Bush openly encouraged her husband to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court, setting the scene for the botched nomination of Harriet Miers, the White House counsel, who is a family friend.

The First Lady acknowledged her influence on her husband's personnel decisions in a rare television interview with Larry King on CNN on Friday night.

"That's one of the things we do talk about the most," she said. "I know everyone as well as he does who works here. I've worked with them also. So certainly I would give him that kind of advice."

In the book, Kessler reveals that the First Lady became pregnant with her twins, Jenna and Barbara, only after taking powerful fertility drugs. The Bushes had been trying for children for three years before seeking medical help, according to Nancy Weiss, a close friend of the couple, from Texas.

Kessler describes how Mrs Bush continues to "bum" cigarettes from friends, even though she officially quit smoking more than 10 years ago, and retells how, as a 17-year-old, she accidentally drove through a red traffic light, killing a schoolmate.

Her CNN interview may be connected with the fact that Mr Bush's approval ratings remain extremely low. Mrs Bush consistently scores approval ratings of between 80 and 90 per cent and the White House likes to deploy her at times of political trouble for her husband.

After discussing a campaign to warn women of the dangers of heart disease, she also used the platform to defend the president's policies in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"It's very difficult to watch on television and see the loss of our soldiers in Iraq, and to get the idea that the Iraqis don't care - that they don't want us there, that it's a sacrifice they don't respect or regard," she admitted, adding firmly: "I think they do."

美国第一夫人劳拉·布什对白宫政治所产生的影响力远比人们以往想象的更大。下周即将在美国上市的新书《劳拉·布什：第一夫人的隐私肖像》描写了“贤妻良母”面纱之下真实的劳拉。

第一夫人常吹“枕边风”

据《每日电讯报》3月26日报道，在过去5年里，现年59岁的劳拉基本上都身居幕后。白宫顾问们将她的形象描述成“非希拉里”。美国前第一夫人希拉里·克林顿在她8年的白宫时光中总是向外界毫不掩饰地表明自己对政治的兴趣，但现任第一夫人劳拉·布什则被视为更倾向于相夫教子的家庭主妇角色。

但由罗纳德·凯斯勒撰写的新书《劳拉·布什：第一夫人的隐私肖像》则使得布什夫人——这位寡言少语的前得克萨斯州图书管理员——对总统施加的影响显出真相。

凯斯勒说：“在可能的人事任命和她所投身或关注的公共事务领域，布什班子的成员们总是会征求劳拉的建议。”这些问题包括教育、艺术、女权和艾滋病等。凯斯勒指出，正是由于劳拉的影响，一些公共事业机构获得了更多的政府拨款，或者幸免于削减开支。凯斯勒宣称，布什夫人曾经否决了布什对一名高级官员的任命，但凯斯勒没有就此透露更多的细节。当布什去年提名哈丽特·迈尔斯为美国最高法院大法官时，布什夫人在一次公开声明中鼓励丈夫任用女性作为最高法院大法官。据悉，迈尔斯是布什总统夫妇的好朋友。

在《劳拉·布什：第一夫人的隐私肖像》一书里，凯斯勒还透露说，布什夫妇在得州的朋友南希·威斯抖料说，劳拉在怀上双胞胎女儿之前曾服用了强效的助孕药物。凯斯勒在书里还称，尽管劳拉在10多年前已经公开宣布戒烟，但她还会经常向朋友“乞讨”香烟；她在17岁时因驾车时不小心闯红灯，而将一名校友撞死。

白宫欲靠夫人救总统

日前，劳拉在美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）接受著名访谈节目主持人拉里·金采访时也承认，她对丈夫决定人员任用的过程确实能发挥影响。她说：“这是我们之间谈论最多的事情之一。对于每一个工作在白宫的人，我和他一样了解，因为我同样也是和他们工作在一起的人。所以，我理所当然会给他一些建议。”

报道说，布什夫人参加CNN的访谈节目可能与近来布什支持率持续走低有关。一直以来，公众对布什夫人的支持率一直保持在80％至90％，而白宫希望利用她良好的公众形象帮助布什摆脱政治困境。

在讨论完一项有关帮助心脏病女患者的活动之后，劳拉便开始为丈夫在阿富汗和伊拉克问题的政策立场进行辩护。她说：“在电视上看到我们的士兵在伊拉克失去性命真是一件很痛苦的事情。人们会觉得，伊拉克人不在乎我们的帮助，他们不希望我们在那里，我们付出的牺牲不被他们尊重或重视。”

（国蒋黎黎）