First Lady Laura Bush said Wednesday she was "sorry" to see Ann Romney attacked in a controversy earlier this year in which a Democratic strategist suggested the presumptive Republican candidate's spouse had "never worked a day in her life."
“I’m sorry that first ladies are being attacked. ... I don’t think I ever was really, or at least if I was, George didn’t ever tell me about it,” Bush said in an interview with ABC News.
The former first lady offered advice for her would-be contemporary, urging Ann Romney to "really enjoy a campaign."
"They're fabulous, it's an unbelievable life experience that very few people get," Bush said.
The Bushes and Ann Romney appeared Tuesday at Romney headquarters in Boston and met with staff there.
"We did stop by the Romney campaign yesterday, gave a pep talk to all the kids," Bush said.
But the former first lady said the last Republican family in the White House would spend most of the election "watching from the sidelines."
"Of course we're wholeheartedly supporting Gov. Romney and the whole Republican ticket everywhere… but we'll be watching from much interest from the sidelines," Bush said.
She also joked about the fact neither Bush family would be attending the Republican convention next month in Tampa.
"George's dad played the age card," Bush said.
But the former first lady acknowledged that her husband — who remains unpopular with voters according to recent polls — "makes an easy target."
"We know what politics is like,” Bush said. “We know that, you know, people love to blame somebody else. That’s just a fact of life in politics."
