Editing Barbara Bush (section)

== Second Lady of the United States (1981–1989) ==
[[File:Thatchers and Bushes at Chequers.jpg|thumb|upright|The Bushes with UK prime minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[Denis Thatcher]] at [[Chequers]], 1984|alt=Refer to caption]]
Upon becoming vice president and Second Lady, the Bushes moved into the [[Number One Observatory Circle|vice presidential residence]]. They lived there for the full eight years of George's tenure as vice president, longer than in any of their previous homes.{{Sfn|Kilian|2002|p=93}} They renovated the house, and Barbara hosted more than one thousand social events there in her time as Second Lady.{{Sfn|Caroli|2010|p=617}} She often ignored [[United States order of precedence|order of precedence]] so that individuals would not be regularly seated among the same group, and she would sometimes have important guests sit next to her husband instead of by her.{{Sfn|Kilian|2002|pp=95–96}} First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] grew to dislike the Bushes. During the 1980 primary election, Nancy and Barbara developed an animosity that lasted for the rest of their lives.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 10}} Nancy, responsible for organizing social events as First Lady, reduced the social role of the vice president and the second lady. Because of this, Barbara did not take an active role in White House social events.{{Sfn|Beasley|2005|p=189}}

Bush joined several associations and programs to promote literacy, her preferred social cause, though she rejected more public positions so as not to overshadow Nancy Reagan.{{Sfn|Caroli|2010|p=289}}{{Sfn|Anthony|1990|p=337}} Bush and her initiatives in this area saw public approval.{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=25}} She received many letters from the public, of which her white hair become such a common subject that she began using a stock reply: "Please forget about my hair. Think about my wonderful mind."{{Sfn|Kilian|2002|p=94}} She also traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, both with her husband and alone while representing him. By the end of her eight years as Second Lady, Barbara counted 65 different nations that she had visited.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=333}}

Bush campaigned for her husband's reelection as vice president in the [[1984 United States presidential election|1984 presidential campaign]].{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|p=25}} By the mid-1980s, Bush was comfortable speaking in front of groups, and she routinely spoke to promote issues in which she believed. She became famous for a self-deprecating sense of humor.<ref name="FL bio"/> During the campaign, she made headlines when she declined to give her thoughts on vice presidential candidate [[Geraldine Ferraro]], but that "it rhymes with rich".{{Sfn|Carlin|2016|pp=617–618}} Bush panicked when it leaked that she may have referred to Ferraro as a [[Bitch (slang)|bitch]].{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 11}} She later apologized and clarified that she meant "witch". Barbara otherwise avoided drawing attention to herself, and this was the only significant criticism of her during her tenure as Second Lady.{{Sfn|Carlin|2016|pp=617–618}} Throughout her tenure, she always kept George's political career in mind; after noticing that he had not appeared in any recent issues of the [[Republican National Committee]]'s ''First Monday'' magazine, she orchestrated a meeting between herself and the Republican National Committee chair, and George appeared on the front cover of the following issue.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 11}}

Bush became a full time campaigner once again when her husband entered the [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 presidential election]] to succeed Reagan.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=334}} Her image as a loyal wife and mother proved valuable for the campaign, especially after rumors emerged that George had engaged in an affair with his assistant Jennifer Fitzgerald.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 11}} The campaign at times focused on the large Bush family, and contrasted her with the incumbent First Lady, Nancy Reagan, by highlighting her interest in domestic staples such as church, gardening, and time spent with family while placing less emphasis on style sense and fashion; she drew attention to both her famous white hair and disinterest in wearing designer clothes.<ref name="FL bio"/> When speaking to the campaign's media advisor, she said that she would do anything for the campaign except "dye my hair, change my wardrobe, or lose weight".{{Sfn|Anthony|1990|p=409}} After George became the presidential nominee, Barbara was more visible than she had previously been.{{Sfn|Gutin|2008|pp=27–28}} By this time, she felt confident enough in the world of politics to provide her own input on campaign strategy.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 11}} She sat in on campaign meetings, and she gave George feedback on his debate answers when they were alone.{{Sfn|Anthony|1990|p=409}} It was her support for [[attack ad]]s that convinced George to use them.{{Sfn|Page|2019|loc=Chapter 11}} She spoke at the national party convention, becoming the third candidate's spouse to do so after [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] in 1940 and [[Pat Nixon]] in 1972.<ref name="FL bio"/>