1st Lady fights stigma
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 09:30PM 
Laura Bush in Saudi - promoting greater cancer awareness, meeting breast cancer survivors and attending the signing of a memorandum of understanding under which Saudi Arabia will formally join the US-Middle East Partnership for breast cancer awareness and research. Her four-nation tour which began in the United Arab Emirates includes Kuwait and Jordan. It also aims at restoring the 'US image in the Middle East battered by the US-led invasion of Iraq'.
It was quite hard to find this image. It was in todays Sun newspaper under the flippant headline 'Didnt she do Veil" . The Sun loves a good piss take. But at least it drew attention to something. Other outlets prefered to run images of just Laura Bush (below) - unsurprisingly since the image says a lot more about womens status than it does about cancer and noone wants to make a contentious statement about the obvious do they? 
Apparently she wore a trouser suit, as female dignitaries visiting Saudi Arabia are exempted from wearing the long black robe, known as abaya, which is a must for other women in the ultra-conservative kingdom. Big of them over there, eh?
Im so pleased she didnt relent to cover her hair. Good for Laura Bush. Breast cancer is the No. 1 killer of women in the United Arab Emirates, but many succumb because the stigma surrounding the disease prevents them from seeking early detection. I sincerely hope she was an inspiration to the women there - in many more ways than one.
Above here is what appears to be the original even more striking group shot - only one i could find and only as a thumbnail. The orginal has been removed
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Reader Comments (26)
Is that an Oscar De La Renta Burqua? Creepy.
Alison: That is an unbelievable photo. WIth the little pink ribbon...gawd....are you sure that's not a photoshop?
It cries out for a caption competition.
"Women's issues can no longer be swept under the carpet"
Henry94: LOL. "First Lady's Diplomatic Mission to Jawas a Success".
"A wedding and Four Funerals"
Laura Bush Meets Cast of "Saudi Arabia's Next Top Model" television show.
Alison: OMG! re: the photo. And the captions..ROFL
What's interesting is the politically-correct impulse to make this image go away so that multiculturalism can continue to be celebrated.
Maybe it's my mood today - but I find those pictures sad & pathetic.
Look at that woman, she's in a f*cking black sack! How can anyone think that should be normal (talking to you, Arab men) - it's awful and cruel.
The pink bow just makes it worse somehow.
I agree Daphne. The pink bow got me too. And the fact that the pics are 'buried'...Captions are fine for daft bints in the west that choose this crap garb. But not for ones who dont get that choice. Christ. Look at her/them.
Alison, the more I've been thinking about these pictures the madder I get. These photos should be splashed front page in bold color everywhere. It's appalling!
You ought to send this post everywhere, at least let people online SEE it. I'm emailing this thing to Hell and back.
Between this and that awful video, I'm feeling balls to the walls against muslim men & society today. May they rot in Hell.
I think it's Nancy Pelosi on the right in the first photo.
Alison: LGF has the photo up - You're quite a reporter, you know.
I am SO pleased to see that FLOTUS did not succumb to wearing a head covering.
Those pics are a trip. I'm speechless.
"You can come out now Bill, Hillary is gone."
Here's a good article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-women6jun06,0,5491632,full.story?coll=la-home-center
These are cartoons right?
Why is Saudi Arabia described as 'conservative'? Totalitarian would be more appropriate. And an 'ally' of the US. FFS, what kind of idiot can Bush be if these are his allies?
Or, to paraphrase a certain Hugh Grant movie:
'Four Arseholes and a Woman.'
Very interesting not least because I had no idea Laura Bush was touring and I live in the U.S. I asked my co-workers if they knew anything about it and they had no idea . . . and no interest either. If there's any truth to reincarnation and a chance I may be born in the middle east, I hope I come back as dog.
Alison
is that you or has someone accidently used your name . You don't live in the US.
Colm: Prob. a new visitor with the sanme name.
'Four Arseholes and a Woman.'
Thats nice. Like they get a say in being an arsehole there.
No its not me Colm
Least she wasn't wearing a Hijab unlike Pelosi.
That's what I'm talking about, Valarauko. You've got to chalk a few points up for FLOTUS!
Pelosi and the other feminists actually respect these regimes.