How do you make governments have literacy a priority? Because if you look at Africa, you look at Asia and so many other places around the world, governments have to struggle with so many other things. There's Corruption, there's... How do you do it?
What UNESCO is trying to do is focus on the 34 most illiterate countries, the countries with the highest rate of illiteracy. And they have two programs. One is an assessment program so that they will help governments really assess how many people are illiterate, who they are, where they are and what they can do to intervene in their lives. And then the other program out of UNESCO is called LEAP and it's an adult literacy program.
Right now Afghanistan you know is facing allegations of its election being marred. There are more civilian deaths and the Taliban seems to be getting stronger, none of which is good for women especially. What’s your reaction to the state now?
Well, I’m very concerned, of course. And I think everybody who’s invested anything in the lives of the people of Afghanistan is concerned. We’re concerned for our own troops who are there and their safety. And of course I’m concerned with the women who are there who are trying to really make a life.
Do you think it could fall apart? Is it on the brink?
I don’t know if I would say that but I think it’s worrisome and I want people… I hope that people will redouble their efforts both within Afghanistan and all the people that help from outside the country.
You’ve been very outspoken too about Burma and the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi the pro-democracy leader. Do you think the military junta is just scared of her and don’t want her to contest in the election.
Sure. Absolutely, that’s the reason I think why she’s always been held under house arrest. They are afraid of her popularity. They think that undermines their regime but I hope that they’ll see what she really wants. She wants a dialogue.
What’s your message for her?
Well I just admire her so much. My message to her is how much I admire her courage and watch from afar, I hope someday I have a chance to meet her.
What’s it like for you being a private citizen?
Well it’s great. Really it’s nice. We’re enjoying our home in Texas a lot. We have a new house, getting furniture. And we've had a lot of fun working on that. We’re both working on our memoirs, writing our memoirs and then we’re also building the Presidential Library.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_library)
Give us a taste of your memoirs, give us a tease.
It’s been fun and interesting to work on because it’s, you know, there is something sort of psychological, I think, about writing your memoir. As you go through it you'll see a lot of sides of every part of it that happened to you.
How’s President Bush doing? Is he glad to be out of the spotlight?
He’s doing very well. Thank you for asking. He’s riding this mountain bike a lot. He likes that. He’s very disciplined about writing his memoirs. In fact I’m ashamed everyday.
Better than you?
Yes, a lot better than me. He’s always been a lot disciplined than I am. So he’s working on those. I keep telling him that I’ve got to the second grade in my memoir.
How do you think the world would remember him?
Well I think the world would remember him for really what he is. And that’s what I think people will get to see both from his memoirs and from mine. And that is somebody who stood for freedom and who stood for the security of our country and I think people know that. I think the people that really know him, know what he’s like and they see what he’s stood for. That’s the freedom of 50 million people in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
Many around the world would say that he stood for divisiveness and destructiveness.
Well I would say that’s absolutely not right and I don’t think they have either the right view of him or what his responsibilities are and were, as President of the Untied States.
Do you think he is doing a good job, President Obama?
I think he is I think he’s got you know he’s got a lot on his plate and he’s tackled a lot to start with and that’s probably made it more difficult.
How do you think Michelle Obama is doing?
I think she’s doing great.
What strikes you? You know you’ve been there.
I saw her at the funeral, Teddy Kennedy’s funeral last week and asked her about the girls and how they are doing and I know what she is doing you know it’s what every woman who moves there does and that's to try to make it home, both for her husband who’s the President and for her children.
What about you daughter Jenna. She’s going to be a correspondent and contributing to the Today Show. What do you think of that?
That’s right. I’m proud of her for that. I think she’ll have a lot fun with that. She wants to bring stories about the education ’cause she’s a teacher and she knew she’s continuing to teach as well to the attention of American people.
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