Editing Barbara Bush (section)

=== Political involvement ===
[[File:First Lady Barbara Bush at the White House.jpg|thumb|Bush reads to children in the White House library, 1990.|alt=Bush sits in a chair and reads with four children surrounding her]]
[[File:First Lady Barbara Bush at the Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas P34627-27 a.jpg|thumb|Bush speaking at the [[1992 Republican National Convention]]|alt=Bush stands smiling in front of a lectern with her family standing behind her]]
Bush was a frequent advisor to her husband, and her suggestions played a role in several of the administration's decisions, including multiple cabinet appointments.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=335}} A White House aide later described her as "the only voice that he 100 percent trusted".{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Introduction}} She was occasionally assigned more formal responsibilities, such as a diplomatic mission in 1990 when she represented the United States at the inauguration of Costa Rican president [[Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier|Rafael Calderón]].{{Sfn|Kilian|2002|p=142}}

In her role as First Lady, Bush built a rapport with the first lady of the Soviet Union, Raisa Gorbacheva. This was credited by Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], as well as other world leaders such as [[Helmut Kohl]] of Germany and [[Brian Mulroney]] of Canada, with improving Western–Soviet relations. In one discussion, Kohl assured Mikhail Gorbachev that talks between the United States and the Soviet Union would continue in part because of Barbara's influence. Bush had several relationships with global figures that were beneficial to her husband's administration, as she regularly made efforts to develop these social connections with visiting world leaders. These became especially prominent following the [[Iraqi invasion of Kuwait]], where her relationship with Gorbacheva and with French president [[François Mitterrand]] eased the process of building the [[Coalition of the Gulf War|coalition response]].{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 15}} During the subsequent [[Gulf War]], Bush endeavored to make the president's job easier. She curated guest lists to avoid those who she felt would "hammer him about his conduct of the war", and she limited the messages that she passed on to him so as not to disturb him.{{Sfn|Kilian|2002|pp=174–175}}

Bush's attention shifted to her husband's reelection campaign during the [[1992 United States presidential election|1992 presidential election]], and she was invited to give a speech at the [[1992 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]].{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=336}} She was reluctant to engage in another campaign, dreading the political attacks against her husband and her children.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 16}} Despite this, Bush took a major role in campaigning, more actively endorsing her husband's policy accomplishments than she previously had.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 16}}{{Sfn|Carlin|2016|p=629}} The campaign efforts were complicated by the [[early 1990s recession]] and the president's subsequent drop in approval ratings.{{Sfn|Kilian|2002|pp=190–191}}

Due to her strong approval ratings compared to her husband, Barbara was made a more prominent face of the campaign. This also allowed the campaign to contrast her with [[Hillary Clinton]], the wife of opposing candidate [[Bill Clinton]].{{Sfn|Kilian|2002|p=199}} Bush had conflicting feelings about leaving the White House after her husband lost reelection. She was sorry to see her husband lose but relieved to return to Houston and be free from the frequent criticism of her family.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=336}} Bush invited Hillary Clinton to tour the White House two weeks after the election, wishing to avoid repeating the example set by Nancy Reagan, who had delayed the tour. On this tour, she gave Clinton advice to avoid the press: "They're not your friends. They're not trying to help you."{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 23}}