Bush a natural athlete ducking shoe-throwing, says first lady

The two most influential women in President George W. Bush's White House - first lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - are strongly defending the president's legacy against critics who are calling his administration one of the worst in history.

"I know it's not, and so I don't really feel like I need to respond to people that view it that way," Mrs Bush said in an interview that aired on Sunday. "I think history will judge, and we'll see later."

Rice took a similar view in a separate interview, saying that claims that the Bush administration has been one of the worst ever are "ridiculous."