Barbara Bush Promotes Precious

There was a time that I NEVER thought I would utter the words Barbara Bush is cool. My fascination with her began in 1993 when she gave the commencement address at my graduation from Pepperdine. Far from an old biddy in a polyester skirt suit, she was warm, effusive, self-deprecating and dare I say it again, COOL! She even hi-fived a couple of our basketball players (Doug Kristy amongst them!) on their way off the stage.

I just read an article that she wrote for Newsweek where she endorses the movie Precious. Yes, that’s Precious, the movie produced by Oprah and Tyler Perry about a 300 lb black teenage girl who is abused by her mother and impregnated by her father and finds redemption in learning how to read and write. Barbara Bush heads up her own literacy foundation which has given more than 700 grants for literacy programs nationwide. While her commitment to literacy is certainly admirable, the idea that she would be so open to a story like Precious completely blows my mind.

Now, for all of you who thought I could never pay tribute to a member of the GOP, let alone dedicate a blog post to them, I go on record saying that Barbara Bush is one cool lady.