Editing Barbara Bush (section)

=== President's mother ===
[[File:President George W. Bush Visits with Former First Lady Barbara Bush in the Oval Office.jpg|thumb|Barbara Bush with her son in the [[Oval Office]], 2003|alt=Barbara Bush and George W. Bush stand side by side]]
Barbara and George were on a flight when the [[September 11 attacks]] occurred, so their plane was grounded and they were taken by the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] to a motel.{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=155}} The next day, they were given special authorization by their son to fly back to [[Kennebunkport, Maine]].{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 18}} They participated at a prayer service with other former presidents and first ladies on September 14. Bush later expressed that she felt great pride in her son's handling of the crisis.{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=155}} The attack also convinced her to reinstate her own personal Secret Service protection, which she had dismissed after leaving the White House.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 17}}

In 2002 she became an alumna initiate of the Texas Eta chapter of [[Pi Beta Phi]] at [[Texas A&M University]]. Bush chose this university as it was the location of her husband's [[George Bush Presidential Library|Presidential Library]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Becque |first=Fran |date=April 23, 2018 |title="We walk by faith and not by sight" - Saying goodbye to Barbara Pierce Bush |url=https://www.franbecque.com/we-walk-by-faith-and-not-by-sight-saying-goodbye-to-barbara-pierce-bush/ |access-date=October 3, 2019 |website=Fraternity History & More |language=en-US |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404060153/https://www.franbecque.com/we-walk-by-faith-and-not-by-sight-saying-goodbye-to-barbara-pierce-bush/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She was also a member of the [[Junior League]] of Houston.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notable Members - The Association of Junior Leagues International |url=https://www.ajli.org/?nd=p-who-legacy-famous-list |access-date=February 20, 2022 |website=Ajli.org |archive-date=February 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205121906/https://www.ajli.org/?nd=p-who-legacy-famous-list |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2003, Bush published another memoir, ''Reflections: Life after the White House''.{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=155}}

Tensions between Iraq and the United States grew during her son's presidency, and by 2003 it seemed likely that her son would launch an invasion of Iraq. Barbara and George worried about the possibility of a war.{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=156}} Two days before the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], she spoke dismissively of television news reports about the impending conflict. Her supporters argued that she was rejecting conjecture and speculation by reporters, while her critics argued that she was being insensitive about the situation's severity.{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=157}} After the invasion, she felt that her son was being unduly influenced by Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]], Vice President [[Dick Cheney]], and Chief of Staff [[Andy Card]]; she repeatedly urged him to reconsider his decisions on Iraq until he sternly rebuked her.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 18}}
[[File:George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush laugh during George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) christening.jpg|thumb|George and Barbara Bush attend the christening ceremony for the eponymous aircraft carrier {{USS|George H.W. Bush||6}}, 2006.|alt=Barbara and George are seated beside one another among an audience]]
Bush returned to campaigning during the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]], giving speeches on her son's behalf when he sought a second term as president. He went on to win reelection.{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=157}} She was involved in promoting some of his policy goals in his second term, including a 2005 tour of Florida to promote his [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] reform plan. She generated a controversy during her work supporting victims of [[Hurricane Katrina]] when she made a comment to a radio station about the situation that was deemed insensitive, saying that those affected could stay in Texas because they "were underprivileged anyway".{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=158}} The comment reinforced an impression that the Bushes were out of touch.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 18}}{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=158}}

Her involvement in the hurricane relief efforts was further criticized in 2006, when it was revealed that she donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush–Clinton Katrina Fund on the condition that the charity do business with an educational software company owned by her son Neil.<ref>{{cite web|first=Cynthia Leonor|last=Garza|url=http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/3742329.html|title=Katrina funds earmarked to pay for Neil Bush's software program|work=Houston Chronicle|date=March 23, 2006|access-date=November 17, 2011|archive-date=June 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628195403/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/3742329.html|url-status=live}}</ref> As George worked with Bill Clinton on various charity projects, the Bushes' views of their former rival softened, and he eventually came to be seen as a member of the family, though Barbara took longer to forgive Clinton's victory in the 1992 election than George did.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 23}}

On October 3, 2008, Bush and her husband opened the "George and Barbara Bush Center" on the [[University of New England (United States)|University of New England]] waterfront Biddeford Campus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.une.edu/bushcenter |title=The George and Barbara Bush Center |publisher=University of New England in Maine, Tangier and Online |date=October 3, 2008 |access-date=September 7, 2016 |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917101833/http://www.une.edu/bushcenter |url-status=live }}</ref> The center lays the foundation for the heritage of Barbara Bush in New England and houses "The Bush Legacy Collection", material securing the Bush legacy in Maine, including memorabilia on loan from the [[George Bush Presidential Library|George H. W. Bush Presidential Library]] at [[Texas A&M University]]. Particular attention is given to the family's New England heritage and to Barbara's love for [[Maine]].<ref>{{cite web |date=April 17, 2018 |title=Barbara Bush leaves lasting legacy in Maine |url=http://www.wmtw.com/article/barbara-bush-leaves-lasting-legacy-on-maine/19845497 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404192602/https://www.wmtw.com/article/barbara-bush-leaves-lasting-legacy-on-maine/19845497 |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |access-date=April 17, 2018 |publisher=[[WMTW (TV)|WMTW]]}}</ref>