There’s been some controversy this week about Teresa Heinz Kerry. What is being reported is that she made a “comment” or a “slur” against Laura Bush. Actually, when she was asked by USA Today if she would be a different kind of First Lady, she replied:

“Well, you know, I don’t know Laura Bush. But she seems to be calm, and she has a sparkle in her eye, which is good, but I don’t know that she’s ever had a real job — I mean, since she’s been grown up. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things. I’m older, and my validation of what I do is a little bit bigger — because I’m older, and I’ve had different experiences. And it’s not a criticism of her. It’s just, you know, what life is about.”

I don’t read that as a slur. In fact, I think it’s just a statement of reality – the women have different backgrounds, different projects, different worldviews. To me, Laura Bush is from the 50s and Teresa Heinz Kerry is from the new century. Teresa is older, but Laura is more conventional. Actually, Laura Bush makes my gramma look like a pretty hot ticket. I don’t know, somehow Laura Bush seems two-dimensional to me. She does have some good moments – I was almost reassured when she once said that she supported a woman’s right to choose. I thought maybe she could talk some sense into her hubby. These days, though when I see her eyes I wonder what kind of drugs they’ve got her hooked on. I think it’s more than a sparkle. Honestly, is she on drugs? Meth? Some serious anti-depressants? Mother’s Little Helper? What is it? Those are some serious glassy “sure I’ll drink the coolaid if you think it’s all right” kind of eyes lately. I worry about her.

A librarian and teacher? Yeah, ok, Laura Bush worked in public schools in Texas from 1968 to 1977, you know, until the year she married George W. Bush. Real dedicated, I hear, although this administration hasn’t done much for those kids. All that work of Barbara Bush too, all for nothing. Laura Bush and Teresa Heinz Kerry are both mothers, so you can cut that “oh, she didn’t credit her with being a mother” stuff right there. Personally, I think Teresa did the better parenting job, judging only by the results (W was a serious liability, I’m sure, so that might not even be entirely fair).

Ever gracious, Teresa said that she was sorry, that she “had forgotten that Mrs. Bush had worked as a school teacher and librarian, and there couldn’t be a more important job than teaching our children. As someone who has been both a full-time mom and full-time in work force, I know we all have valuable experiences that shape who we are. I appreciate and honor Mrs. Bush’s service to the country as first lady and am sincerely sorry I had not remembered her important work in the past.”

To her credit, Laura Bush seemed to understand the spirit of what had been said. “She apologized but she didn’t even really need to apologize,” Mrs. Bush told reporters, “I know how tough it is and actually I know those trick questions.” Of course that didn’t stop Machiavellian Bush autobiography-writer and Rove-buddy propagandist Karen Hughes from criticizing remarks “indicative of an unfortunate mind-set that seeks to divide women based on who works at home and who works outside the home” and later for an apology she called “worse because she left out the very important real job of a mother.” Yup, Hughes has studied rhetoric all right – I see exactly what she is doing – and so can you, dear reader.

But let’s get real, people. Laura Bush and Teresa Heinz Kerry have had different life experiences – very different life experiences. VERY VERY different life experiences. Let’s also remember that Elizabeth Edwards is a lawyer and that Lynne Cheney was a conservative cable TV commentator until Cheney became VP. It’s ok for a woman to have a job, remember?

Think of the women of the White House: Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton… They do matter. It’s not their job to hold elected office (assuming that it is still an elected office), but they paint the administration with their own style and substance, for good or ill. I, for one, will be proud to see Teresa Heinz Kerry as America’s First Lady. She values what this country seems to have forgotten about itself – maybe she can help John Kerry remind us all.

My Favorite Quotes

“Let me just say having been married to a Republican, wonderful man, who was the old kind of Republican that we used to have once upon a time, the Republicanism of this administration is neither Republican nor conservative. There are good people in both parties. These people are not Republicans.”

“You know, I am always who I am, and anyone who’s known me forever will tell you that. I guess there’s enough of a child in me that that’s important. And also, I am the product of living in dictatorships. And someone who’s lived in dictatorships and not being allowed to be themselves, it cherishes the ability to be yourself and to have feelings and to speak them when asked.”

“I have a very personal feeling about how special America is, and I know how precious freedom is. It is a sacred gift, sanctified by those who have lived it and those who have died defending it. My right to speak my mind, to have a voice, to be what some have called “opinionated,” is a right I deeply and profoundly cherish. My only hope is that, one day soon, women — who have all earned the right to their opinions — instead of being labeled opinionated, will be called smart or well-informed, just as men are.”

“To me, one of the best faces America has ever projected is the face of a Peace Corps volunteer. That face symbolizes this country: young, curious, brimming with idealism and hope—and a real honest compassion. Those young people convey an idea of America that is all about heart and creativity, generosity and confidence—a practical, can-do sense and a big, big smile. For many generations of people around the globe, that is what America has represented. A symbol of hope, a beacon brightly lit by the optimism of its people—people coming from all over the world.”

“The Americans John and I have met in the course of this campaign all want America to provide hopeful leadership again. They want America to return to its moral bearings. It is not a moralistic America they seek, but a moral nation that understands and willingly shoulders its obligations; a moral nation that rejects thoughtless and greedy choices in favor of thoughtful and generous actions; a moral nation that leads through the power of its ideas and the power of its example. We can and we should join together to make the most of this great gift we have been given, this gift of freedom, this gift of America.”