First lady Laura Bush makes television history

“Welcome back to another hour of TODAY,” the female television news anchor said as the clock pushed past 9 a.m. ET.

But there was something different about that lady’s voice. Certainly, the Texan burr indicated it wasn’t Meredith Vieira or Ann Curry.

It was first lady Laura Bush, making a bit of television history by becoming the first sitting first lady to serve as guest host for the TODAY Show.

During the hour, Mrs. Bush ably contributed to interviews with twin daughters Jenna and Barbara, eco-friendly lifestyle expert Robin Wilson and author R. L. Stine. She also won a cooking competition for the best Fried Oysters Po' Boy sandwich held by chef John Besh of August Restaurant in New Orleans.

“It’s been so much fun,” Bush told Curry and TODAY’s Al Roker. “I loved it.”

In conjunction with Earth Day, Bush also took Curry on a pretaped tour of the president’s eco-friendly family ranch in Crawford, Texas. She showed the “green” amenities that make up the “Western White House,” built in 2000. Among them are ground water access for geothermal heating and air and geothermal panels on the roof.

“It’s the right thing to do for your pocketbook and it’s a right thing to do for the Earth,” Bush said. “We can all make a big difference in our country.”

Mrs. Bush made some other revelations during the hour, saying her iPod contains “oldies” and “Motown” and that she tells friends that the best place to take your iPod is to the dentist.

“If you’re wearing your iPod while you’re sitting in your dental chair, it goes by a lot faster,” she said.

As for whether the president was watching, Mrs. Bush said he was “probably TIVO'ing” Tuesday’s program.

She was shown a clip of President Bush dancing to the sounds of the Euphonious Brass Band of New Orleans at an event in the Big Easy on Monday night.

“I think he’s practicing to dance at his daughter’s wedding,” she said, referring to Jenna Bush’s upcoming nuptials.

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