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Skriven 2006-11-30 23:31:18 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0611308) for Thu, 2006 Nov 30
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Interview of the First Lady by ABC
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
November 30, 2006

Interview of the First Lady by ABC
The Red Room


˙˙˙˙˙ Holidays at the White House 2006

8:07 A.M. EST

Q 'Tis the season here at the White House, and it's something that we all
look forward to -- really, the holiday spirit, as soon as you walk in -- I
wish you had scent cam, to smell the scent here. We're inside here at the
Red Room and we're going to have a tour, and we have a very special tour
guide, none other than the First Lady, herself, Laura Bush, who has
graciously invited us into her home. Thank you.

MRS. BUSH: Thanks for coming.

Q Always a pleasure. Of course, you graciously also agreed to answer a few
questions.

MRS. BUSH: Sure.

Q Your husband is on his way back here as we speak --

MRS. BUSH: That's right.

Q -- critical meetings with Iraq's Prime Minister Maliki. Has he called
home to let you know?

MRS. BUSH: I've talked to him every day, but not this morning. I guess he
left there before I was up this morning, so he hadn't --

Q Didn't want to wake you up?

MRS. BUSH: -- called me to wake me up. I'm still recovering from the Asia
trip, from the jet lag, and I got the week off to relax and decorate.

Q You deserve it. And get everything ready.

MRS. BUSH: That's right.

Q What were you hoping that he was going to be able to accomplish on this
trip?

MRS. BUSH: Well, I think from what I've heard -- which is only what you've
heard, as well -- that he accomplished what he wanted to accomplish, which
was a good, long substantive meeting with Maliki. And I think that's what's
really important, for both of them to be able to talk in person, to have a
chance to talk about both what Iraq can do and what the United States can
do to bring peace there.

Q Your husband has done so much. Are you fearful that this is going to be
his legacy? Everyone always talks about Iraq -- it is a very tense
situation there right now -- that this is going to be his legacy?

MRS. BUSH: It's tense, but I think it will be a good legacy. I think if
Iraq can build a stable government, which I know many, many people in Iraq
want, that that will be really unbelievable for the Middle East, for the
whole area there to have a good democracy there. Remember, 70 percent of
Iraqis turned out to vote. That's more than turn out to vote in the United
States. And that means a lot.

Q So he's on his way home and --

MRS. BUSH: On his way home.

Q -- he has a reception?

MRS. BUSH: That's right. When he gets here, he gets here for the first
reception tonight, the first party. The very first party is for the press
preview, later this morning; and then the decorators who decorated the
house, spent the last week here decorating. And then tonight is our first
reception for friends from around the country.

Q Well, let's talk a little bit about the decorations here, because we're
inside here in the Red Room. And people don't -- it takes months and months
to prepare, doesn't it?

MRS. BUSH: We've been planning this for months. We thought of the theme
early last spring, which was "deck the halls and welcome all." And we
really took the theme off of this room, the most dramatic and beautiful
room -- and many times the First Lady's favorite room in the White House,
the room that First Ladies have used to serve tea. And we have the
beautiful Angelica Houston [sic] here above the fireplace, who was --
Angelica Van Buren, who was President Van Buren's hostess when he was
President. Because this is a room that First Ladies have used.

And because of the very dramatic red color, it's perfect for the starting
of Christmas. So this year it's really traditional looking, because
everything is red and green.

Q Well, you said, welcome all, let's go into --

MRS. BUSH: So let's go into the Dining Room.

Q That's perfect. I hear you're going to have, like, 10,000 guests this
holiday season?

MRS. BUSH: Ten thousand guests over the whole holiday season, that's right.

Q Oh, goodness. This is great.

MRS. BUSH: So this is what the dining room looks like. This, of course, is
sans the food, which will be brought out here a little bit later this
morning for the first of the parties. We decorated the table with this
little forest of trees, which I think is so pretty, and then continued all
the red and silver and green everywhere here, around the famous portrait of
Lincoln.

And on the menu we have a lot of our favorites. This year we actually have
chicken fried steak --

Q You're kidding.

MRS. BUSH: -- and creamed gravy, and tamales, which is a tradition of ours
to have at Christmas. And then, of course, we have Cris, our chef's classic
sweet potato souffl , which everyone loves, it's a wonderful dish. And then
regular things that you expect at a Christmas buffet -- turkey and ham and
shrimp cocktail, lots of good things. I think it will be a really, really
beautiful table when it's all set up.

Q When I come in here I sometimes think of the Hoovers -- remember the --

MRS. BUSH: That's right. The story about them, they were having their
Christmas Eve dinner in here when the West Wing caught on fire. And
everyone rushed out to save -- including one man who worked in the West
Wing, had to rush over and save a puppy that he was hiding there to give
his son for Christmas. And Herbert Hoover's own son pulled the drawer's out
of the President's desk to save his files.

Q So much history when you walk in here.

MRS. BUSH: There is. This room was done like this by McKim Mead and White
for Teddy Roosevelt. That's the way all the molding and everything is done,
including, if you'll notice on the marble fireplace, there are buffalos on
either end -- bison on either end. A very American symbol.

Q Well, Mrs. Bush, the crew is really eyeing the gingerbread house --

MRS. BUSH: I knew it. Of course. This is the classic -- this is always the
most spectacular thing of the decorations. And this year our former pastry
chef, Roland, came back to build this for us. And as you can see, I think
there are more than 800 snowflakes that are all over it. On the very top we
have Barney and Miss Beazley driving Santa's sleigh. Kitty is down here
right under the birdhouse. And I think that looks great. It's so
attractive; every year Roland has done something so different and
beautiful.

Q You can smell the gingerbread..

MRS. BUSH: It's all real. It's all edible. I actually had a piece of it --
not broken off the gingerbread house, but one of the big sheets of it that
they were working on downstairs when they were putting it together. So it's
gingerbread, and chocolate works as the glue inside, and marzipan on the
trees. And all these little doves, you can see there beautiful little birds
that Roland created.

Q That's great. And I can tell how much you enjoy -- when you look at it as
a whole like that, it is gorgeous.

MRS. BUSH: It's so beautiful to look at. And why red is such a really
wonderful color for this year's decorations, because, of course, red is the
predominant color and off of the Red Room in the White House

Q It's hard not to be in the spirit when you're here. So have you done your
shopping?

MRS. BUSH: No, I haven't done any. Well, actually, I ordered a couple of
things from catalogues, but that's all I've done so far.

Q Oh, so you're a catalogue shopper, as well?

MRS. BUSH: I am a catalogue shopper. I like to do that. It's an easy for me
to shop.

Q And do you open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

MRS. BUSH: George's family has a very strict rule that it's Christmas Day.
My family always opened on Christmas Eve. But he's the President, so he
gets his way on Christmas Day.

Q Oh, so a little bit of a comprise there.

MRS. BUSH: That's right.

Q And Mrs. Bush, do you have a message to the troops that are --

MRS. BUSH: Sure. I want to tell the troops, I want to send them my respect,
my deep respect and my love and my very best wishes. And also to their
families who will be alone this Christmas because their loved one is
deployed. I know the special burden of worry that's on the families of our
troops everywhere, and I want to send them my best wishes and deep respect,
as well.

Q Well, you're always a very gracious host. We really appreciate you
inviting us in. And I can't believe the President has to be at a reception
when he comes back today.

MRS. BUSH: Exactly. I'm sure he can't believe it, either. (Laughter.)

Q Thank you again; always a pleasure to see you.

MRS. BUSH: Thanks a lot.

END 8:15 A.M. EST
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