17 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and her brother, scott pierce. she was preceded in death by her second child, pollyanna robinson and her siblings, martha and james. at interviewback with former first lady from october 2013. host: with all the posts that you in the president have held over the years, was there one that best prepared you for the white house and when you became first lady, did you feel prepared you -- did you feel prepared? all i was, first of not elected so it did not make that much difference. i did notice the difference in being the vice president's wife and the president's wife is huge as the vice president's wife

can say anything. the moment you have said one thing as president's wife it makes the news. that is one thing i had to learn quickly. i felt very prepared because we had lived in washington off and father -- my father in law had been a u.s. senator although we have lived in texas, i think probably i was very comfortable, i had a comfortable -- i had a loving family and so to george and we felt comfortable. i loved being the wife of the vice president best of all -- host: why is that? guest: you could say anything you wanted and nobody cared and you could do a lot of good things. it continueds is on. charities and things i'm interested in, i can really raise money, raise interest that

a normal much smarter person cannot do. host: going into the white house what was some of the best advice you got? guest: let's see, going into the white house, best advice i got -- keep your mouth closed, i suspect but nobody dared say that to me. i do not remember getting too much advice. president of the senate ladies and i had a lot of friends. i had done that for eight years. i went to senate wives meetings every tuesday morning. i went some tuesdays when they did not have meetings and had to be hauled home again. part of my life, i loved all my life. i have been a lucky person. host: you open your men more that you wrote by saying i've been very privileged in my life. guest: i have been.

i wrote that because my husband said you are going to be highly criticized because people are going to say you have lived a life of luxury and although i lived in a tiny small house which i would be glad to show you anytime in new york and my father and mother struggled, sort of because i had a loving, , but i didr brother live a privileged life. they left me, my sister, my a great, we just had household. i hope others could do it. we were privileged, maybe not as privileged as some but more privileged than 95% of the country. host: when did you first meet george bush? dance,i met george at a in those days, the ride and

greenwich exchange christmas dances. i met him at a christmas dance and he cut in on me, or he did not, he asked someone to introduce us. i had on a red and green dress that my mother's great friend had given her and said i wonder if barbara would like this dress. it had belonged to some friend of hers and it was pretty i guess because george asked to meet me and i met him there. we went out, he came the next night to another dance in rye, the first was in greenwich, and cut in on me and my older brother, he asked him if he would play in a basketball game. rye school boys against high school and they were

murdered by the rye high school. george said yes he would play and asked if i would meet him and go out afterward. family came of my to that basket ballgame to look at this boy that i had raped over -- this boy that i had raved over. say they never tell you anything in the morning. i came home and said i met this heavenly boy. morningr knew the next exactly who he was, who is family was. she should have been the head of the cia, she knew everything and i must say i feel the same way about him today as i felt then. i can breathe now, then i could not breathe when i was within. i can breathe with him now but

he is just as fabulous as he was then. host: throughout your married life you moved a lot. guest: 27 times. he could not hold a job. it was fascinating. really lucky, the things we have done. horribled in some places and we have lived in some pretty wonderful places. themed almost every one of . i liked them all because he was were ast some of them everybody knows, we lived in a house with three ladies, one was a child and the other were ladies of the night. we shared a bathroom with them .hich seems inconceivable now i cannot imagine my grandchildren doing that. some great adventures. george and i had lunch yesterday alone and we talked about the fact that we had a lot of adventures our grandchildren

will never have because they really are privileged. they may not know it but they are. they will not have these adventures. it is too bad. i never met a texan until i moved here. theought they were all like bad girl, compared to shirley temple who was the good girl. it turned out i have loved texas and we chose to live here. host: did you know early in your marriage that you were going to become a co-campaigner for offices? guest: no. never dropped. i don't think george new, popular to country believe. was i surprised when he announced he was running for president? it did not just happen like that. it worked up that way. he was the county chairman and the congressman and he was a successful businessman.

it did not just happen that he said to me one day i am going to run for president. it was there. but long after we were first married. way long. in fact, when he came back from china to be the head of the cia, that meant the end of politics. he would never be president because you could not be head of the cia and be president. oem -- oh yeah? you can. host: in your memoir, you're in mayrom your journal 1980 six, george is obviously the most qualified person for the job of president. do i want him to run? absolutely not. you, ithis goes to show told my boys they could never be elected and look at them. a political daughter. -- doubter.

i think it is a huge sacrifice to run for office and people are very critical of the congress. they may not be doing a great job but they could do better at home. they would have one home, be home with their families. many cannot afford a home in washington, i just feel like it is asking a lot and i thought he might lose. of course he did, the senate. but we moved on. host: how do you develop that thick skin or do not for politics, for chris's him -- for criticism? guest: i'm not that it. most people do not dare criticize my children in front of me but the press, do not. attention to. i do not like it but i don't pay attention to it. don't dare criticize george h w bush, ever. host: during the 1992 campaign

there was a bumper strip that said annoy the media, reelect bush. guest: i did not write that, but i might have. i do not remember that. i do remember when george was president,, i guess on the freeway going from new york to connecticut, i saw someone with a sign that said bush for president. i was so excited and when i got the car i raced my car up to be that to it, turned out they were a cousin. i hoped they were a stranger but nobody knew who he was. host: you enjoy campaigning? guest: yes. i like people. they are funded. i like it a lot. funny things happen. i really enjoyed it.

man and iis the best campaigned for george w knowing full well he was not going to win and he did. host: do you think there is room for another bush in the white house? guest: i think this is a great american country, great country and if we cannot find more than two or three families to run for high office, that is silly. there are great governors, great and ile people to run think that kennedy's, clinton's, bushes, they are just families. i am not arrogant enough to ,hink that we alone are raising we are raising public servants whether they are feeding the spentike lauren is, who

-- who is fed 68 million children around the world. working for big brothers big sisters, there are a lot of ways to serve and being president is not the only one. i would hope that someone else would run although no question in my mind that jeb is the best qualified person to run for president. i hope he won't because i think he will get all my enemies, all there arethers'and other families. i refused to accept that this country is not raising other wonderful people. lady,you walk in as first is it a blank slate when you can create your own agenda? guest: yes, i guess. i'm not sure know quite what that means. itple are overly nice to me

i feel it, truthfully, every single day. my friends have to look for parking places, i do not have to look for parking places. my friends often call me and saying would you mind taking me forever we are going because they have to do things, they have to wait in line at the airport. you can create your own plot or plan. it is a great privilege and you ought to take advantage of it because you can help people. host: how do you pick your causes? guest: i know, truthfully, that every single problem in america causes? would be better if more people could read, write, and comprehend. that. know we would be able to compete with the rest of the world. we would not have children who crimes because their families do not have jobs. they do not have jobs because

they cannot read, they cannot write, they do not understand. -- such an easy project to pick. i admit it took about half a year to pick because i'd always volunteered hospitals but there is no question in my mind. every thinking american is coming to that conclusion. we have got to educate our children and we have got to educate their parents. whim, it is a a necessity if we're going to compete in this world. was there ever a day in the white house when you wanted to say no more, i'm done, i quit? guest: never. how could you say that? you have got 90 people whose only aim in life is to keep you happy and your husband is doing good things. he's doing the right thing.