Over at Gawker they are laying into Jeb Bush, suggesting that, of all people, his wonderful mother, Barbara, is his "biggest bully."
While there is no denying that the Silver Fox is sparing in her praise, especially for her children, it would be a huge mistake to think that there is any love lost between our greatest living First Lady and the former governor of Florida. Here, pulled at random from her charming two volumes of memoirs, are six counter-examples:
1. She Thinks He Has a Big Heart
Reflecting on a family visit to the Soviet Union undertaken in the ’80s, she calls him "precious" and commends him for the sympathetic tears to which he is moved by the sight of elementary school-aged victims of communist tyranny.
2. She Really Enjoyed His and Columba’s Wedding
For Barbara, Jeb’s wedding in 1974 was "a happy interlude in a year dominated by Watergate." After noting that Jeb went to great lengths to prove to Columba that he was no mere "rich man’s son and playboy," Bush gives us this account from her diary of the trip she and Jeb took to buy a ring:
Jeb and I went in the afternoon to Boone & Sons and bought a ring and had my Grandmother Pierce’s wedding ring fitted to Columba’s size. When he has a wedding date he’ll then get it marked.
Later she tells us that Columbia "has made Jeb very happy."
3. She Still Makes His Favorite Foods for Him
Baked peaches in particular—"I really like this dish," she explains, "and of course, it is bad for you." Here is her recipe:
BAKED PEACHES
1 or 2 cans Del Monte peach halves in heavy syrup (how many depends on the number of guests; as they cook down, I usually allow for three halves per guest)
Lay peach halves, cavity side down, in a low casserole or pie dish
Cover with half the peach syrup from can
Put a dab of butter and a touch of brown sugar in each peach half
Sprinkle with cinnamon
Squeeze the juice of a lemon over all
Bake in a 350-degree oven for an hour (the juice must be cooked down and the peaches brown)
Serve hot or warm with real whipped cream.
4. She Thinks He is a Good Athlete
In volume two of her memoirs, she heaps praise on him for playing what she, a lifelong enthusiast, calls "very competitive" tennis with Pete Sampras, the King of Swing himself. Low energy? I think not.
5. She Thinks He is a Good Public Speaker, Too
Barbara has taken it upon herself to review many of Jeb’s speeches. How did he do at his father’s presidential library in 1997 in front of six first ladies and numerous past and present heads of state, including "the Kaifus of Japan, the Majors from Great Britain, the Mulroneys from Canada, Rudd Lubbers from the Netherlands, Sir John and Lady Swann from Bermuda, and Lech Walesa," a Who’s Who of her favorite people? According to Barbara, he was a delight and "looked spectacular."
6. She Is Very Proud of Him
At the end of the day, is there anything more we can really ask for from our mothers? Mine, for example, tells me this every day, but I suspect her criteria are not nearly as stringent as Mrs. Bush's:
I am so proud of Jeb. He is so smart, inspiring, and sincere. He is very handsome and so sweet and caring. I went to bed a very happy mother.
She wouldn’t say this unless she meant it.