I am sure everyone remembers the famous quip by Barbara Bush after she made a courtesy call on the stunned and exhausted Katrina evacuees at the Houston Astrodome.
"[F]ormer First Lady Barbara Bush concluded that the poor people of New Orleans had lucked out.
"Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them," Mrs. Bush told American Public Media's "Marketplace" program. On the tape of the interview, Mrs. Bush chuckles.."
The statement caused the outrage and derision that it deserved. Many concluded that George Bush's own tone deaf response to the havoc caused by Katrina and his inability to appreciate the extent of the resultant human misery was directly related to his upbringing by parents who were similarly insensitive and self absorbed.
Perhaps to make amends for the embarrassing gaffe, Barbara Bush recently donated a sum of money (the amount is undisclosed) to Houston area schools which have taken in a substantial number of children from New Orleans displaced by Katrina. Except .... there is a catch to this gift giving. The Houston Chronicle reports that the money was donated with specific instructions that it can only be spent for buying educational software from Ignite Learning - a company owned by her son, Neil Bush. Why am I not surprised?
"Former first lady Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an educational software company owned by her son Neil.
Since then, the Ignite Learning program has been given to eight area schools that took in substantial numbers of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
"Mrs. Bush wanted to do something specifically for education and specifically for the thousands of students flooding into the Houston schools," said Jean Becker, former President Bush's chief of staff.
Regarding the fact that Bush's earmarked donation also benefited her son's company, Becker said, "Mrs. Bush is obviously an enthusiastic supporter of her son. She is genuinely supportive of his program," and has received many letters from educators who support it. Bush "honestly felt this would be a great way to help the (evacuee) students."
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