NEW YORK Accompanying her husband, former President George H. W. Bush,
on a tour of hurricane relief centers in Houston, Barbara Bush said today,
referring to the poor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, "This
is working very well for them."
The former First Lady's remarks were aired this evening on American Public
Media's "Marketplace" program. She was part of a group in Houston
today at the Astrodome that included her husband and former President Bill
Clinton, who were chosen by her son, the current president, to head fundraising
efforts for the recovery. Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama were
also present.
In a segment at the top of the show on the surge of evacuees to the Texas
city, Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going
to move to Houston."
Then she added: "What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want
to stay in Texas. 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 (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."