# Laura Bush Opens Up About Why Crash Wasn't Really Her Fault **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 28, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617 "2010-04-28T13:09:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/41 "2010-04-29T15:14:50Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > It doesn’t sound to me like she doesn’t give a fuck. She’s just saying that there were reasons for why it happened. She may have been the only First Lady to have done this, but saying she took a human life just makes her seem so cold and calculating when it’s more like she made a mistake that ended up having fatal consequences. There were no consequences for her. > [@](#): > > I’m sure there are a lot of high school kids who have accidents like this–most don’t end in someone dying, no–but they don’t go on to a career in politics or become First Lady. Yeah, but one would also hope those people could take responsibility instead of making excuses. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/42 "2010-04-29T15:16:14Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I hope I’m not giving the impression that I care. Try harder next time. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/43 "2010-04-29T15:22:42Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > There were no consequences for her. > > Yeah, but one would also hope those people could take responsibility instead of making excuses. Well, she wasn’t charged with anything. What was she supposed to do? Ask to be jailed? I’m having a hard time seeing any seventeen year old really knowing what to do in that situation. If she had been drunk or reckless, yes, I’d be more likely to condemn her. But I just see her as ultimately unlucky–sometimes bad stuff really does happen. I’ve known a couple of people who, when driving hit people (and weren’t at fault). If those people had died, I suppose they could have said to have “taken a life” but I really think it’s stretching the truth to put it that way. It’s unfortunate but I don’t see thee point of trying to go out of your way to condemn someone for what was ultimately just a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/44 "2010-04-29T15:24:36Z")
She _was_ reckless. She blew through a stop sign. It wasn’t bad luck, it was reckless driving. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/45 "2010-04-29T16:04:50Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > it’s an unique distinction that she’s the only First Lady ever known to have taken a human life. Won’t that look nice on the commemorative plate! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/46 "2010-04-29T16:17:17Z")
I am no fan of the Bush’s, but they are harldy cartoon characters. I have no doubt that Laura Bush felt remorse and still does. It is unfortunate that she tries to explan away some of the details, but honestly thats her issue, not mine. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/47 "2010-04-29T16:18:03Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Endlessly. And shit. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/48 "2010-04-29T16:22:55Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > A friend of **tygre** ’s was killed by a distracted driver. The woman who was driving was fumbling around looking for a CD or something she’d dropped or whatever–it was never completely explained. Her friend was riding her bicycle to work. The driver never saw her. Her friend left behind two young kids. Of course (and it seems too obvious to say, almost), no charges or penalty were laid against the driver. She was back on the road the next day. Yep. If you ever need to kill somebody and get away with it, get in your car. > [@Duke](#): > > “You know, Laura, there were eight years while you were First Lady, eight years when hundreds, probably thousands of innocent people were killed by distracted drivers. Why didn’t you speak up then, when you had a reasonable public podium? Why couldn’t you say then, ‘When I was young I made a mistake that ended one life and damaged many others, including my own–and that’s why I want to bring attention to the issue of distracted driving.’?” Very good point. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I just see her as ultimately unlucky–sometimes bad stuff really does happen. I’ve known a couple of people who, when driving hit people (and weren’t at fault). If those people had died, I suppose they could have said to have “taken a life” but I really think it’s stretching the truth to put it that way. It’s unfortunate but I don’t see thee point of trying to go out of your way to condemn someone for what was ultimately just a mistake. Again we have this notion that death on the roads is often “just a mistake,” or “an accident,” and that therefore nobody is to blame. Most accidents are _very much_ the fault of at least one of the people involved. If you’re driving, and you _make a mistake_ which leads to a collision and injury, that **IS** your fault! Your mistake=your responsibility, on the road as in other areas of life. Just because it wasn’t your _intention_ does not mean you are not to blame. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/49 "2010-04-29T16:29:02Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Again we have this notion that death on the roads is often “just a mistake,” or “an accident,” and that therefore nobody is to blame. > > Most accidents are _very much_ the fault of at least one of the people involved. If you’re driving, and you _make a mistake_ which leads to a collision and injury, that **IS** your fault! Your mistake=your responsibility, on the road as in other areas of life. Just because it wasn’t your _intention_ does not mean you are not to blame. Umm, I don’t think anyone thinks that referring to something as a “mistake” or an “accident” absolves anyone of blame. It is all about intention. Laura Bush showed little responsibility and poor judgement as a 17 year old, that was her mistake and it is her fault. But she certainly had no intention to kill someone that night and therefore does not deserve to be villified as if she were a murderer. The fact is that ACCIDENTS do happen, people are fallible…all the time. it does not absolve blame, but in my consideration, intention is a vital part of understanding any event. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/50 "2010-04-29T16:30:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > She _was_ reckless. She blew through a stop sign. It wasn’t bad luck, it was reckless driving. This just in! A 17-year-old did something stupid and careless! I’d be more surprised to find somebody who _didn’t_ at that age. I certainly did some stupid and careless things when I was 17. I’ll bet you did too. It was indeed bad luck that when Laura did a stupid and careless thing at 17, it ended up having a tragic outcome. That doesn’t mean she was blameless, or that her recounting of the incident in her book isn’t clumsy and artless. But I do pretty much get where she’s coming from, that a confluence of factors, _including_ her own carelessness, led to somebody’s death, and that it’s been a tough thing to live with ever since. I’m not sure what else you want from her, really. And the fact that she later married a man who went on to become a shitty president is completely irrelevant. I suspect that it’s mostly W haters stepping up to bash her over this, and that isn’t fair. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/51 "2010-04-29T16:48:05Z")
Mostly it shows that W was even incompetent at picking a wife. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/52 "2010-04-29T16:58:38Z")
Her blowing through the stop sign was the one and only thing that caused the accident. If she’d stopped at the sign, it wouldn’t have happened. No other alleged contributing factors would have mattered if she’d just stopped at the sign. Yes. it’s true that would not make her any different than thousands of other teenagers (which is why I think teenagers should not be allowed to drive, but that’s another issue), but the least she could do is own it in retrospect, and not try to absolve herself. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/53 "2010-04-29T17:15:09Z")
Since we’re not seeing the quote in context, it’s possible she’s deflecting some of the blame by talking about the car. But the bile being posted here is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/54 "2010-04-29T17:16:48Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Her blowing through the stop sign was the one and only thing that caused the accident. If she’d stopped at the sign, it wouldn’t have happened. No other alleged contributing factors would have mattered if she’d just stopped at the sign. His driving off the bridge was the one and only thing that caused the accident. If he’d stayed on the bridge, it wouldn’t have happened. No other alleged contributing factors would have mattered if he’d just stayed on the bridge. I can understand not wanting people to bring up an unrelated matter when discussing Laura Bush’s accident, but your subsequent spinning of the two incidents is making you look foolish. Recommence spinning. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/55 "2010-04-29T17:29:38Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Umm, I don’t think anyone thinks that referring to something as a “mistake” or an “accident” absolves anyone of blame. That was my interpretation of the **Freudian** post I quoted. She was “just unlucky.” NO. It’s not just a roll of the dice. She was at the wheel, she made choices which affected the outcome. I have certainly heard “it wasn’t his fault, it was an ACCIDENT!” plenty of times outside SDMB, as well. > [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > It is all about intention. NO. It is not all about intention. It is also about what people _do_, and the consequences of their actions. > [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > …she certainly had no intention to kill someone that night and therefore does not deserve to be villified as if she were a murderer. Who said she’s a murderer? I didn’t see that here, and I’m not saying that. I _am_ saying that she was a criminally reckless driver who killed someone, and she deserved to be jailed for it. (Nothing to do with politics, here; I think the same of other killer drivers who get away with it.) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/56 "2010-04-29T17:32:29Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > His driving off the bridge was the one and only thing that caused the accident. Prove there was negligence involved in driving off the bridge. Also, please explain how that would negate Laura Bush’s own negligence in blowing through a stop sign. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/57 "2010-04-29T17:38:22Z")
Maybe driving off a bridge into a river us intentional? Would that make the death of a passenger a murder? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/58 "2010-04-29T17:44:58Z")
She shouldn’t have blown through the stop sign, no. True, I was wrong to say it was just an accident beyond her control. I guess I can’t help thinking that maybe she thought no one was there, maybe it was a stop sign people just didn’t use–stupid mistake, but I still can’t characterize her as having taken a human life, as though she’s a murderer. Her reckless driving caused a horrible accident. But I’m not seeing the evidence that she’s happy with her choice or anything like that. Maybe she feels terrible about it–who knows, really, what’s in her heart? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/59 "2010-04-29T17:47:15Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > That was my interpretation of the **Freudian** post I quoted. She was “just unlucky.” NO. It’s not just a roll of the dice. She was at the wheel, she made choices which affected the outcome… Every single one of us takes our eyes off the road for one reason or another many times during every drive. Maybe we glance at the speedometer, or react to what a passenger says, or who knows what else might cause it. It might be a ‘good’ reason, or a ‘bad’ one. But if it happens at just the wrong moment, as some other vehicle is entering the situation, we may be suddenly toast. In that sense, anyone can be unlucky and contribute to a death on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617/60 "2010-04-29T17:50:59Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I’m having a hard time seeing any seventeen year old really knowing what to do in that situation. What jumped out at me was not so much the recklessness of a 17-year-old (that is all too common) so much as the continued rationalizations of a however-old-she-is-now adult (admittedly also all too common, but that’s the new part of the old story). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-opens-up-about-why-crash-wasnt-really-her-fault/537617.md?page=4)