GEORGE Bush's wife Laura has revealed for the first time how some of Barack Obama's criticism of her husband had hurt her.

The First Lady and Mr Bush were being interviewed on the Larry King Live show on CNN to mark the departing president's eight years in power.

Mrs Bush admitted that she took it personally when Mr Obama attacked her husband during last year's election campaign and blamed the economic crisis on his bad management.

Asked if she was angry, she replied: "Yes, sort of. George didn't really even know about it because he didn't really watch it that much."  

Her husband quickly chipped in, saying: "So what's new?"

He continued: "When you make big decisions and tough calls, you're going to get criticised. Of course I have been disappointed by the silly name-calling in Washington." But Mr Bush said the most hurtful jibe of his presidency came from critics such as rapper Kanye West after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005.

West claimed that "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a live telethon for Katrina victims immediately after the disaster.

Mr Bush told Larry King the comments were unfounded and unfair. He said: "I think being called a racist because of Katrina was a low point.

"I can remember people saying George Bush is a racist because of the response.

"In fact, the truth of the matter is the response was pretty darn quick - if you think about the fact the Coast Guard and a lot of brave kids were pulling 30,000 people off of roofs as soon as the storm passed and as soon as they knew people were on the roofs."

the President said he was looking forward to Mr Obama's inauguration on Tuesday and was pleased to have a "front row" seat to what he called a historic moment for America.

Mr Bush has held regular telephone conference calls with his successor as the president-elect has attempted to put together a stimulus package for the economy.

With so much riding on the first 100 days of his presidency, Mr Bush warned Mr Obama against making too many predictions. The Democrat has already said that the US faces a tough year ahead with further job losses being one of the biggest of his problems.

But Mr Bush said: "He'll learn not to become an economic forecaster once he gets to be president. I think he can say it's going to be a tough period but to predict what the economy is going to do ... it is going to be bad, but how bad, how long?  

"What he ought to be saying, and I know he feels this way, is he's going to take the steps he thinks are necessary to get us back on the road to recovery and we will recover."

Mr Bush will address the American people tomorrow night for the final time in a prime-time slot on television. The 15-minute speech from the East Room of the White House will be the last time he makes a speech as America's 43rd president.

All the major TV networks have agreed to carry the address which will be aired at 1am UK time on Friday.

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