Laura Bush Cheers Aide's Smart Car

She was on a waiting list for three years when the call finally came through to first lady Laura Bush's chief of staff, Anita McBride. "Ma'am, your smart car is finally here." Yup, McBride is one of the first in Washington to snag a tiny, 40-mpg, Daimler AG car. "My husband said if you are going to do it, get the right car," says McBride. That meant a bright-yellow convertible. "I love it." Tiny, she says, doesn't mean the two-seater is unsafe. "I'd drive it on the highway." And Mrs. Bush is a fan. "I think she'll be very proud of the fact that I'm driving a fuel-efficient car," says McBride. "It's the talk of the White House."

By Paul Bedard