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CNN Live Today
Book Looks at Love of First Couple
Aired October 30, 2002 - 10:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: George and Laura Bush are the nation's first couple. But long before they moved into the White House, they were an odd couple. He was a hard drinking descendant of a political dynasty. She, soft spoken school librarian. Opposites do attract. Apparently, those differences forge a common strength.
Our next guest is the author of "George and Laura, Portrait of an American Marriage."
Christopher Anderson joins us now with more on their shared life before and after the election.
Thanks for being with us.
CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON, AUTHOR, "GEORGE AND LAURA, PORTRAIT OF AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE": Good morning, Anderson.
COOPER: It is a very interesting book that you have written. What surprised you the most about their relationship?
ANDERSON: Well, that it is so solid, you know, given the pressures of the White House, we know what it can do -- what happened to last administration, what martial strife and discourse can do to the nation, how it can even have constitutional consequences. If anything, the marriage is better, because they're in the White House.
They're friends, their closest friends, the people they've known all their lives, those are the Texas bunch, who go in and out of the White House and Camp David and Crawford basically on a weekly basis almost tell us they're having the time of their lives. I think it's because they have this partnership that is quite remarkable in American history, really.
COOPER: Remarkable also because, really, as you mentioned they really were such opposites, it seems, at least long ago. Tell us about when they first met, what they were like.
ANDERSON: It's amazing. They both grew up in this small town, Midland, Texas. They knew all the same people, but they never knew each other, they never met, even though they went to the same junior high school, for example. Later on, they were living in the same apartment complex in Houston, the Chateau Dijon, for a year, and they never met.
And ultimately, in 1977, they finally got together. I think it's sort of fate or kismet (ph), or whatever you want to call it. A couple of friends of theirs said we're going to play matchmaker. We're going to put these two opposite types together. And you know, if you don't think Laura has an impulsive streak, well, just keep in mind, that three weeks after they met, George asked her to marry him, and two months after that, they were wed.
COOPER: That is amazing. I did not know that.
ANDERSON: Yes, long courtship.
COOPER: A lot has been made of -- and George Bush, the president, has spoken about this, his drinking problem at the time. How bad was it? What did you learn about it?
ANDERSON: You know, as his own father said, he just couldn't hold his liquor. People like Don Evans, the current secretary of commerce, has been a longtime friend, said he just got -- he's the kind of person that couldn't turn it off. Even Laura has acknowledged when he drank too much, George was a wild man. What is remarkable about Laura is that she stuck with him during this nine year -- the first nine years of their marriage, he had these binges, and there were quite a few embarrassing moments, and she plugged away, and finally got to the point where she game him the famous ultimatum, it's either me or the Jim Beam. And after a particularly horrible hangover, he thought he would take Laura's advice. He told her he was quitting cold turkey, and she didn't believe it at first, but in fact, he hasn't had a drink since.
COOPER: Let's talk about their marriage now. What kind of influence do you think she has in the White House, even on U.S. policy? Obviously a lot is always made about first ladies and their influence. Where do you see Laura bush?
ANDERSON: We all think of her as a prim librarian. But, again, she's careful not to contradict her husband in public, again, a big difference with Hillary Clinton, for example. She doesn't want to appear to be overstepping her bounds. However, privately she does talk to him. She sort of is coy and says, look, I'm his wife, not his adviser, but sure, we talk issues, we talk personalities. I look at his speech and say, gee, I don't think you ought to say that. I'll go over the ads. She has real input.
As a matter of fact, I think was very visible after 9/11 when there was that moment when the president made that Wild West analogy, you know, Osama bin Laden dead or alive, wanted dead or alive, and she took him alive and said, Bushie, you're going to get him. She thought he was too a little bit too strident and a little bit too bombastic, and he took her advice and kind of pulled back. I think even some of his rhetoric about Iraq has softened a bit. I think it's because she wants her husband to appear more statesmanlike, and she tells him so. She is no shrinking violet.
COOPER: You're write about 09/11 a lot in the book. Do you think 9/11 changed their relationship in any way?
ANDERSON: If anything, it's intensified it like it has every other family, I suppose. I think the impact on their children is interesting, because you may remember their daughters Jenna and Barbara made some unfortunate news there with run-ins with the law over underage drinking. Since 9/11, boy, no problems. They speak to their parents every day. They're more willing to go to the White House and go to the ranch. Before they had been reluctant to do that. In the past, they had never expressed much interest in dad's political career, which it kind of hurt him, frankly, but now they are expressing more interest, so I think it's brought them together as a family.
COOPER: Christopher Anderson, the book is "George and Laura," thank you very much for being with us. It was very interesting. Thanks.
ANDERSON: Thanks. I enjoyed it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 30, 2002 - 10:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: George and Laura Bush are the nation's first couple. But long before they moved into the White House, they were an odd couple. He was a hard drinking descendant of a political dynasty. She, soft spoken school librarian. Opposites do attract. Apparently, those differences forge a common strength.
Our next guest is the author of "George and Laura, Portrait of an American Marriage."
Christopher Anderson joins us now with more on their shared life before and after the election.
Thanks for being with us.
CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON, AUTHOR, "GEORGE AND LAURA, PORTRAIT OF AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE": Good morning, Anderson.
COOPER: It is a very interesting book that you have written. What surprised you the most about their relationship?
ANDERSON: Well, that it is so solid, you know, given the pressures of the White House, we know what it can do -- what happened to last administration, what martial strife and discourse can do to the nation, how it can even have constitutional consequences. If anything, the marriage is better, because they're in the White House.
They're friends, their closest friends, the people they've known all their lives, those are the Texas bunch, who go in and out of the White House and Camp David and Crawford basically on a weekly basis almost tell us they're having the time of their lives. I think it's because they have this partnership that is quite remarkable in American history, really.
COOPER: Remarkable also because, really, as you mentioned they really were such opposites, it seems, at least long ago. Tell us about when they first met, what they were like.
ANDERSON: It's amazing. They both grew up in this small town, Midland, Texas. They knew all the same people, but they never knew each other, they never met, even though they went to the same junior high school, for example. Later on, they were living in the same apartment complex in Houston, the Chateau Dijon, for a year, and they never met.
And ultimately, in 1977, they finally got together. I think it's sort of fate or kismet (ph), or whatever you want to call it. A couple of friends of theirs said we're going to play matchmaker. We're going to put these two opposite types together. And you know, if you don't think Laura has an impulsive streak, well, just keep in mind, that three weeks after they met, George asked her to marry him, and two months after that, they were wed.
COOPER: That is amazing. I did not know that.
ANDERSON: Yes, long courtship.
COOPER: A lot has been made of -- and George Bush, the president, has spoken about this, his drinking problem at the time. How bad was it? What did you learn about it?
ANDERSON: You know, as his own father said, he just couldn't hold his liquor. People like Don Evans, the current secretary of commerce, has been a longtime friend, said he just got -- he's the kind of person that couldn't turn it off. Even Laura has acknowledged when he drank too much, George was a wild man. What is remarkable about Laura is that she stuck with him during this nine year -- the first nine years of their marriage, he had these binges, and there were quite a few embarrassing moments, and she plugged away, and finally got to the point where she game him the famous ultimatum, it's either me or the Jim Beam. And after a particularly horrible hangover, he thought he would take Laura's advice. He told her he was quitting cold turkey, and she didn't believe it at first, but in fact, he hasn't had a drink since.
COOPER: Let's talk about their marriage now. What kind of influence do you think she has in the White House, even on U.S. policy? Obviously a lot is always made about first ladies and their influence. Where do you see Laura bush?
ANDERSON: We all think of her as a prim librarian. But, again, she's careful not to contradict her husband in public, again, a big difference with Hillary Clinton, for example. She doesn't want to appear to be overstepping her bounds. However, privately she does talk to him. She sort of is coy and says, look, I'm his wife, not his adviser, but sure, we talk issues, we talk personalities. I look at his speech and say, gee, I don't think you ought to say that. I'll go over the ads. She has real input.
As a matter of fact, I think was very visible after 9/11 when there was that moment when the president made that Wild West analogy, you know, Osama bin Laden dead or alive, wanted dead or alive, and she took him alive and said, Bushie, you're going to get him. She thought he was too a little bit too strident and a little bit too bombastic, and he took her advice and kind of pulled back. I think even some of his rhetoric about Iraq has softened a bit. I think it's because she wants her husband to appear more statesmanlike, and she tells him so. She is no shrinking violet.
COOPER: You're write about 09/11 a lot in the book. Do you think 9/11 changed their relationship in any way?
ANDERSON: If anything, it's intensified it like it has every other family, I suppose. I think the impact on their children is interesting, because you may remember their daughters Jenna and Barbara made some unfortunate news there with run-ins with the law over underage drinking. Since 9/11, boy, no problems. They speak to their parents every day. They're more willing to go to the White House and go to the ranch. Before they had been reluctant to do that. In the past, they had never expressed much interest in dad's political career, which it kind of hurt him, frankly, but now they are expressing more interest, so I think it's brought them together as a family.
COOPER: Christopher Anderson, the book is "George and Laura," thank you very much for being with us. It was very interesting. Thanks.
ANDERSON: Thanks. I enjoyed it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
