Laura Bush Touts Eco-Friendly House

Or ranch, I guess, as in the Crawford Ranch. Hosting the third hour of the Today Show yesterday, Mrs. Bush won a sandwich-making contest, listened politely to advice about raising twins - her own, Jenna and Barbara, were on hand to cheer on their mom - and interviewed author R.L. Stine. And:

...in a pre-taped tour of the family’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, Bush touted green aspects of the home, which is partially heated with geothermal power. “We could and we’ve discussed putting one wind mill out here because, as you can tell, we have enough wind to generate electricity” she said as the wind tousled her hair.

With President Bush ever so slowly acknowledging climate change issues, it was nice of the First Lady to move things along a bit in an audience-friendly way. Bush has become a bit detached from eco-unfriendly movement conservatives as his presidency moves into its final months, and it has allowed him to strike out in some new directions. It'll be interesting to see how, or if, he and Mrs. Bush pursue these interests further in their post-White House life.

The Crawford Ranch is quite attractive. I'd always imagined it to be like the big house on the hill in Giant, with Laura Bush as Elizabeth Taylor taking a few days to cross the living room to greet Karl Rove as James Dean soaked in oil. But then, I'd imagined President Clinton as John Cassavetes living in the Rosemary's Baby apartment in New York City, with swank friends stopping by for swank parties and odd recorder music piping in from the next-door neighbors' place. So what do I know?

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