Behind the scenes, first ladies are first advisers

[AmyStrange]

Behind the scenes, first ladies are first advisers
Mon Jun 14, 6:26 AM ET

FROM: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20040614/cm_usatoday/behindthescenesfirstladiesarefirstadvisers&cid=679&ncid=1935
All last week, the nation saw poignant moments of Nancy Reagan bidding a final farewell to her husband of 52 years. From her grief-stricken face to her gentle caress of Ronald Reagan (news - web sites)'s casket, she embodied the "loyal, loving wife" that President Bush (news - web sites) described in his Saturday radio address.

In the White House, however, Nancy Reagan was far more than a faithful spouse, and far more influential than was generally acknowledged at the time. Indeed, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said last week that she was instrumental in convincing her husband to hold peace talks with the "evil empire" he had decried. "A particularly positive influence on him - more than anyone else - was Nancy Reagan," Gorbachev told The Washington Post.

Gorbachev's disclosure calls attention to the powerful role first ladies play, usually out of sight, and to how little election-year scrutiny they receive.

That's true now for first lady Laura Bush, who has tried to stay in the background, and Democratic candidate John Kerry (news - web sites)'s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, an outspoken spouse with strong views of her own.

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