When President Bush spoke Tuesday about the U.S. response to the killer cyclone in Myanmar, first lady Laura Bush was standing right behind him in the Oval Office. But really, she was the one out front.
Mrs. Bush presided in the White House briefing room one day before the president spoke on the devastation in South Asia. She blistered military leaders in Myanmar as being "very inept" for repressing citizens and decimating an economy, and urged them to accept humanitarian aid to help a shaken nation recover.
The Myanmar example shows how Mrs. Bush can make a difference on foreign affairs, said Mike Green, a former senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council under President Bush. In one fell swoop, she can take on an issue that is not bitterly divisive at home, empower democracy efforts in Myanmar and lobby first ladies in Asia during her travels.
Washington bureaucrats also know to make Myanmar a priority when they might not otherwise. "They know it's from her lips to the president's ears without anyone getting in between," said Green, who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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