she hates that word, 'transformation'

surely laura bush has a few currents, a little tension, in her inner life. after all, as ann gerhart writes in the perfect wife this is a bright, educated, exceedingly well-read woman, with many liberal friends who cannot abide her husband's conservatism ... mrs. bush's deal "presents an excruciating tension." but does it feel that way to mrs. bush? the first lady, who declined to cooperate in this biography, remains sphinxlike on this and many other questions, aided by a white house message machine that sometimes seems determined to drain not only controversy but also content out of any public statement. at one point, an aide to mrs. bush scolded gerhart for suggesting the first lady had undergone a transformation after the attacks of 9/11. "don't use that word," the aide said. "she hates that word, 'transformation.'"