Laura Bush Blows Off Conservatives Who Attacked Her For Wearing Muslim Headscarf

This morning on Fox News Sunday, Laura Bush forcefully dismissed conservatives who attacked her for wearing a Muslim headscarf during her visit last wek to the Middle East. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she said, before disagreeing with one Weekly Standard columnist's claim that she had given "a tacit endorsement of Islam's subjugation of women."

"[T]hey saw this as giving me a gift from their culture," Bush said. "And it was the scarf with the pink ribbons and the pink edging on it, the breast cancer scarf, that I put on." She added later, "I think we all have these stereotypes of each other, Americans and Arabs, and it's a really good thing to be able to break those stereotypes down and get to know each other."

Watch it:

Full transcript:

WALLACE: Of course, Mrs. Bush, with a higher profile almost inevitably comes criticism. And some conservatives in this country are upset with you -- and we have a picture up there on the screen...

BUSH: Oh, you've got to be kidding.

WALLACE: ... for putting on a scarf given to you...

BUSH: Oh, really?

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WALLACE: ... by a Saudi doctor. And let me put up a blast, if you will, from The Weekly Standard. That she would oblige her hosts by wearing a shmata, which is Yiddish for a scarf, on her head is a tacit endorsement of Islam's subjugation of women.

BUSH: Well, I did not see it that way at all. In fact, I'd had the meeting with them totally uncovered. I mean, you saw other photographs, obviously.

WALLACE: Right.

BUSH: And they saw this as giving me a gift from their culture. And it was the scarf with the pink ribbons and the pink edging on it, the breast cancer scarf, that I put on.

I will say that I told them that I had always felt like they were closed to me, that I wouldn't be able to reach them because of the way they're covered, and one of the women said to me -- she said, You know, I may be all dressed in black, but I am transparent.

And what they were saying to me is they want to reach out. They want American women to know what they're like. And these women do not see covering as some sort of subjugation of women, this group of women that I was with.

That's their culture. That's their tradition. That's a religious choice of theirs.

Now, I did meet, on the other hand, in Kuwait, where women just got the vote in 2005, with a group of women activists, several of them who had run for office the first parliamentary election after women got the vote -- didn't win, any of them, but they made the first step, certainly, by getting in the political process.

And in that meeting, very few women were covered. And they don't feel like they have to be. But you know, I think we all have these stereotypes of each other, Americans and Arabs, and it's a really good thing to be able to break those stereotypes down and get to know each other.

Comments

[DaisyZimmerly]

You can learn a lot about a person by the company they keep, MRS. Bush.

[mimsnpips]

The first lady just may have been innocent on this one. It just goes to show neo's and repugs are cannibalistic and will even turn on their own. Everything and anyone is fair game when pursuing their goals.

[timetorevolt]

So called christian women in this country may not wear a scarf as symbol of second class status but they aren't treated much better than islamic women. Let me count they ways they earn that second class status; they earn 70% of what the average man earns overall, the male rulers have convinced them they aren't ready for a female president, most accept being judged by how they look rather than their intellect and abilities,even though most have benifited from the womans lib movement they condemn it,etc..My word to women in this so called christian country;Look in the Mirror and stop drinking the Kool Aid..

[HermioneGranger]

While Muslims women have lots of presidents and equal pay ... LOL!

[wry]

It was Fla vo Aid , not Kool Aid. Besides, the fact that women are not equal yet in the US does not diminish the crushing oppression of women in Muslim societies.
I looked in the mirror this morning, thank you. And I didn't have to cover my head to leave my house and DRIVE MY CAR.

[ebbtide]

Laura Bush is planning to run for Senator from New York when she leaves the White House. (SNARK)

AND whatever happened to her brave initiative that sent hundreds ofsewing machines to the mom of Afganstan daughters so they could sew UNIFORMS for their dauhters who now will gleefully skip off to school in their drab brown uniforms AND their moms shed their burquas and now wear westerm style mini skirts and bob their hair, just as the liberated women in Iraq. Whatever happened to that Laura? You said you are more involved in policy than most people think. Dear God--of these policies you are proud? You worked some three or four years of your life, married into e Bush money, and have been a Bush welfare mom for thepast thirty five or so yeas. Nothing like pulling yourself up by your bootstraps .

BTW, Laura,whatever happened to another of your "initiatives"--you know, the education and reigning in of "gangs" in the inner cities? How's that going? Break up many gangs?

[robotfog]

don't mock her. I heard a rumor that she dresses in a bhurka at night and swings around the cities taking on crazed street gangs.

Have you done that?

I didn't think so.

{I'm just joking. Don't get mad}

[MalloMel]

It does seem to me that she IS for the subjugation of women. That seems to be a conservative trait, no matter the culture.

[gpr-2007]

So, the hypocritical right conservatives are blasting Laura Bush for wearing the clothing of another culture. What if she went to the French Riveria and wore the bathing suits of that culture. You know, topless? How would they react to that? Basically, if you cant figure it out, they are the most intolerant group in America. Worse than liberals and even racists. Why the hell did we allow such people to run a supposedly free and all men are equal society. Makes no sense and it makes no sense that anyone continues to support such if they are trying to do the morally and ethical right thing to do.

[SmootyBooty]

The answer: We are a stupid nation.

[godlessclif]

http://anthropology.usf.edu/women/rosebud/Rosebud.html
Sioux Princess Rosebud got Calvin Coolidge to wear
a Sioux war Bonnet. This is not different.

She is quite a looker, BTW the picture on the right is her dad Chauncey Yellow Robe.
Rosebud Yellow Robe is on the left.

[Issak]

Good to see Michael Wallace's idiot son- getting a spanking- from all people Laura. I never thought I would say this, but she seems right to me on this issue.

The moronic right wing -lump-them­-all-menta­lity has bitten Laura as well.

[godlessclif]

http://anthropology.usf.edu/women/rosebud/Rosebud.html
Sioux Princess Rosebud got Calvin Coolidge to wear
a Sioux war Bonnet. This is not different.

She is quite a looker, BTW the picture on the right is her dad Chauncey Yellow Robe.
Rosebud Yellow Robe is on the right.

[BUSHsurvivor]

FURTHER ON....

WALLACE: Does experience serving as first lady qualify somebody to be president?

BUSH: You know, I don't know. I mean, I — who knows? I mean, certainly, there's...

WALLACE: Well, you better than anyone.

BUSH: There's no doubt about it that you know everything about living in that house, for instance. And the other thing you know is you know how things are going to happen that you're not going to expect, that you better be prepared for.

And I would certainly say September 11th is the example that — the most, you know, obvious example of things happening while you live there that you don't expect, that you have to deal with.

But on the other hand, I think one thing about the American political process, especially running for president, is it's so difficult.

It requires such endurance, both physical endurance as well as mental and, you know, emotional endurance to run for president, that what happens is we usually see the people who are experienced enough get the job just because they can live through the campaign and work.

WALLACE: You have supported qualified women for big jobs — secretary of state, Supreme Court justice. Are you at all torn by Senator Clinton's candidacy?
BUSH: No.

WALLACE: You're not.

BUSH: No, not really. I mean, I'm looking forward to voting for a Republican woman, whenever that is, but I'll be supporting the Republican.

WALLACE: But this is the woman who's got the best chance any woman has ever had to be elected president.

BUSH: I know it. But I'm going to be voting for the Republican.

WALLACE: So the fact that she's a woman doesn't matter?

BUSH: No, it doesn't matter to me. And I hope it doesn't matter to other people.
WALLACE: Well, as long as I've got you in this, and what's wrong with Mrs. Clinton's views?

BUSH: Well, I'm not going to go into that, but, obviously, they aren't in line with mine in a lot of cases, and so I'm — I'll be supporting the Republican.

[exile]

mike's son is a p.o.s.

[robotfog]

Chris Wallace; idiot on the air.

Why was he harping on that woman for president thing? What kind of a jerk from 1910 thinks that women must vote for women or else believe that no woman should be a candidate?

Laura should have looked around and asked, "what's that smell?"

[mommadona]

"Some are more covered, uh...more equal than others"

"They all look alike, but they are different"

"Nah...it has nothing to do with male dominated societies who can't control their 'urges' to the point that women feel the need to cloak themselves up to their eyeballs..­..naw....i­t's not that at all...uh uh...nope....don't even go there"

[ZHarris]

The old "these women do not see covering as some sort of subjugation of women". Why then is there a law to force them to wear the burqa. Why then are they beaten for violations?

She's as dumb as he is.

[janmarie]

You know, it was only about 100 years ago most women in the western world and yes in the US that it was considered improper and immoral for women to go out in public without their head covered. In most Muslim countries the men never show their arms, chest or legs. So what 1/2 of the back of the Iranian woman's head is covered. If a man in Iran walked around in shorts and a sleeveless shirt he would probably get arrested.
Give it a break. Have you ever noticed that the men in the Saudi countries are just about as covered up as the women?

[mamacat]

Ok, this is going to get me some flak, but this is just an observation. I think she is smarter, and a better person, than her husband.

[VOTER]

How so?

If she is smart enough to know her hubby is The Killer Chimp and yet she stays married to him, what does that say about her?

Would you stay with your husband knowing he was a KILLER?

She is in it, the marriage, for the war profits, just like her hubby.

Smarter? Better person? PLEASE. She is a BOO-SH!

[OlskoolDem]

why is HRC staying with slick Willie the cheater??
ya think she's dumb or somthin?? ?

[Sooner1976]

There are approximately 6-1/2 billion people who are better than Bush so you're saying much about nothing.

[robotfog]

Don't forget the ones who haven't yet been born.

[mommadona]

I suppose that's all relative, eh?

She's a traditional Southern woman enabler.
The backbone of the 'Good Ol' Boy' modis operandi.
If the 'little lady' backs them, then it MUST be right.

It's the hidden "Weapon of Mass Destruction", Republican style.

If these women ever woke up and smelled that coffee, oh.....my.­.......wha­t WOULD those "Good Ol' Boys" do?

[TedtheFather]

Wallace is being disingenuous. "Shmata", or "schmata" means "rag", a worthless and usually filthy, piece of cloth. The insult to Laura Bush was deeper than he let on.

[jlxn]

Shocking, a Fox reporter being disingenuous.

[ParacleteofKavorka]

In Muslim countries, they must wonder why we make our women wear no panties (Brittany Spears) or thongs at the beach. Or why we make our women starve themselves to be beautiful and inject stuff in their lips to make them puffy. I know, you're thinking we don't make our women do that, officially, but it's happening nonetheless. Something is making them do it.

[HermioneGranger]

Isn't it illegal for an American to wear a thong?

A friend of mine got fined in Florida for changing from his wet speedo into dry pants.

Also, the number of American women looking starved is fairly limited to so-called TV personalities. The rest is rather fat.

[janmarie]

Women cannot walk around with their breasts exposed. Where is the uproar? (oh, I know, that's different!)

[exile]

me !!!
i did it.
i made them do it.
happy now ???