This Sunday, on American television, Mrs. Laura Bush highlighted her role as the President’s wife in the country, but also outside the borders, when causes do need her attention.

Last week, Mrs. Bush traveled throughout the Middle East, concerned about the status of women and repression in Burma. Usually, presidential spouses in the United States support public issue causes inside the country, but recently Mrs. Bush has shifted her focus to issues abroad.

Part of the reason that she made the tour last week in the Arab world was to improve America’s image, but also to address the issue of women’s breast cancer there and their overall health condition. Mrs. Bush said: “So many more die there with breast cancer than in the United States because early detection is the only thing we have - the closest thing we have to a cure.”

Her visit in the Arab world, especially in Saudi Arabia, indeed had a remarkable impact on women’s health issues. Her public concern on breast cancer highlighted the fact that this is a serious problem and better awareness of it might help fight the deadly disease. Mrs. Bush also added that this experience helped her and also the Arab women she met to break a lot of stereotypes on appearances from both sides.

Mrs. Bush realized that her own speaking up of the matters might make a difference. This is especially the case with the oppression situation in Burma. Publicly, she supported Burma’s pro-democracy movement and urged Burmese soldiers to refrain from violence. She also said that she has long been inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize winner and the leader of the Burmese opposition, who is living under house arrest.

Mrs. Bush said: “When I learned about her story, then I learned about Burma and how repressed they are by this military junta that leads Burma - that is the government.” She also expressed her sad feelings about the once highly appreciated Burma for its wonderful culture and trained people, which now has about 90 percent of people living with under a dollar a day.