It is not only George W. Bush who’s looking better in retrospect to many Americans. Consider this:

Former first lady Laura Bush said the U.S. must stand with Afghanistan and bear in mind its long investment in the country. In an exclusive interview with The Hill, the former first lady weighed in on the future of Afghanistan, saying Congress and the American public should continue to support the country.

“What I hope is that we will stand with the people of Afghanistan. … It is not easy … Afghanistan was destroyed,” she said. “What they need to bear in mind is our investment already. … No one wants it to go back to the way it was. … Everyone wants peace there. What it has to be is a just society and a just democracy.”

She knows of what she speaks. As the report notes:

The former first lady, who visited Afghanistan three times during her eight years in the White House, has long held an interest in the affairs of Afghanistan and the plight of women and young girls there in particular. She sits as an honorary adviser on the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council and has worked with the Women’s Initiative at the Bush Institute in Dallas since leaving the White House in January 2009.

Laura Bush never suffered the drop in popularity that her husband did. She managed to be both above the political fray and to do meaningful things. Oh, that her successor could do even one of those things.