US President George W. Bush extolled his wife Laura Bush as the US first lady makes trip to the Middle East on Thursday.

In a speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Bush said Laura is off to Jordan, Egypt and Israel as US representative to help advance the freedom agenda, which the president described as a peace agenda.

"The trip is an opportunity for Mrs. Bush to reinforce our commitment to promote freedom and supporting women and girls across the Middle East," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Tuesday.

Laura Bush visited Afghanistan in March.

Source: Xinhua