Barbara Bush on Jeb run: 'We've had enough Bushes' in White House
Former first lady Barbara Bush said
her son George W. Bush should be
the last in the family line of
presidents, rejecting the idea of a
White House run for her other son,
Jeb Bush.
"There are other people out there
that are very qualified and we've
had enough Bushes," she told
TODAY's Matt Lauer on Thursday
from inside her son's presidential
library .
When asked whether she expects
Jeb Bush, the former Florida
governor, to make a presidential
run, Mrs. Bush said there are many
worthy candidates.
"It's a great country. There are a
lot of great families and it's not
just four families," she said.
"He's the most qualified, but I
don't think he'll run."
Mrs. Bush spoke alongside two
other generations of Bush women
inside the George W. Bush
Presidential Library and Museum in
Dallas. Her daughter-in-law, Laura
Bush, sat beside her two
daughters, including new mom
Jenna Bush Hager, who gave birth
to a daughter earlier this month .
"We're so proud of him," Hager
told Lauer. "We walk into this
museum, and you see baby
pictures of us with him. That's how
we see him, of course, but more
than that, we're proud of his
service to our country and
everything he did."
Her sister, Barbara Bush, said she's
enjoyed seeing her father honored
for his service.
"It's fun to celebrate him as a
leader and a values-driven person,
and to relive so many of the
memories we had when he was a
president and see the positions he
took that we're proud of," she said.
Asked what the women miss about
life in the White House, the elder
Mrs. Bush said nothing except
"maybe breakfast in bed."
"You can't miss something you
don't have," she said.
Hager said she misses the White
House employees, many of whom
she and her sister first met when
their grandfather, George H.W.
Bush, served in office.
"We met them as little first
graders, and then we grew up with
them, so they became like uncles
and cousins," she said. "And they're
here today."
Former First Lady Barbara Bush
said her husband, former President
George H.W. Bush, will attend
Thursday's dedication of the
center. She said he's been feeling
well despite a recent health scare.
"It's just the darn legs won't work,
but other than that, he's perfect,"
she said. "He's sweet and loving
and it must be frustrating for him."
She said the opening of her son's
library has been "one of our
happiest moments."
