Bush owes silence to Obama, wife says

WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President George W. Bush feels he owes his public silence to his successor, former first lady Laura Bush says.

Unlike former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has been outspoken in his arguments with the policies of current President Barack Obama, Laura Bush told ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday that her husband has kept his silence because he feels it's the right thing to do.

The former president believes he "owes President Obama his silence on issues, and that there's no reason to second-guess any decisions that he makes," Laura Bush said. "I think (Cheney) feels obligated. You know, these are issues that are really important to him, and he knows a lot about them. So you know, I understand why he wants to speak out."

Laura Bush, however, defended her husband's anti-terrorism record, saying it was successful in preventing more attacks on the United States.

"There are different times, and it's easy to look back and say, 'We should have done this' or 'We should have done that,'" she told ABC. "But, in fact, we are safe, and we didn't have another attack. And I think that's important."