Empress Laura

A bizarre headline:

Laura Bush pledges more U.S. aid for Afghanistan

Since when does the First Lady have the prerogative of dispensing U.S. tax dollars to anyone? Well, she seems to think that her royalist gesture is just routine:

“After flying from Washington to the other side of the world, First Lady Laura Bush spent six hours in Afghanistan on Wednesday, praising the courage of Afghan women and pledging more U.S. help for the war-torn country.”

This is unseemly behavior. Laura Bush is the President’s wife, not the Empress of the American Empire. If the Republicans want to propose an amendment to the Constitution making the First Lady a co-president, then let them do so. Until then, spare us the imperious gestures.