[media-credit name=’Derek Montgomery’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]First Lady Laura Bush touted her husband’s record of supporting women’s interests during a political rally Monday morning in Middleton.

Speaking behind a banner reading “W is for Women,” Mrs. Bush pointed to advancements women have made under the Bush administration, claiming 10 million females now own their own businesses partly because the president’s tax cuts have led to small-business growth.

She also spoke about Bush’s health-care plan, claiming it would give women more control over medical coverage.

“My husband believes it is time to put care back in the hands of patients and doctors,” Mrs. Bush said. “This is health care we own, we manage and we keep ourselves.”

The president’s national security record also became a focal point during the rally, as the First Lady emphasized Bush’s response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and claimed the war on terror stands as the single most important policy undertaken during his presidency.

Pointing to Iraq and Afghanistan, the First Lady reminded listeners of the more than 50 million people — women in particular — who enjoy greater freedom today due to the removal of the Taliban government and Saddam Hussein’s regime. Mrs. Bush conceded, however, that America’s work in the Middle East is far from over.

“We must remember building a democracy takes time,” Mrs. Bush said, adding it is America’s responsibility to promote democracy around the world.

The First Lady also urged the crowded room of supporters to get out the vote in Wisconsin for the president on Election Day.

“Four years ago, we came so close in Wisconsin,” Mrs. Bush said. “This year we are going to win.”

Gore barely edged Bush out in the state during the 2000 presidential contest, winning Wisconsin by a margin of victory fewer than 6,000 votes.

Laura Bush was not the only candidate’s wife to make a stop in Dane County Monday.

Democratic vice presidential hopeful John Edwards’ wife Elizabeth toured the Waisman Center, a University of Wisconsin research facility, to talk with experts about stem-cell research issues Monday afternoon.

When asked about Mrs. Bush’s visit to Madison the same day as her own campus stop, Mrs. Edwards said she respected the First Lady but maintained the two women hold very different views on the issues — noting their differences on stem-cell research in particular.

“She seems like a pleasant enough woman,” Mrs. Edwards said in a phone interview Monday. “[However], I think that she’s espousing the wrong position on stem-cell research.”

During her speech, the First Lady praised President Bush’s stance on stem-cell research, which allows for federal funding only on existing stem-cell lines.

“He allows [stem-cell research] to explore its potential while respecting the dignity of human life,” she said, adding Bush is the first president to authorize federal dollars for the controversial new technology.

Some Democrats on campus say the presidential wife’s stance on the issues is indicative of many female Republicans in the Bush administration. Liz Sanger, chair of College Democrats, said those women working for the president have been rendered politically submissive to Bush’s conservative agenda.

“He has handpicked women who won’t stand up for their own rights,” Sanger said.

But Bush supporters disagree, arguing Mrs. Bush exemplifies the strong role women are taking on the campaign trail and during the national political discussion taking place this fall.

Sue Ann Thompson, wife of former Republican Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson, who currently serves in the Bush administration as head of the Department of Health and Human Services, introduced Mrs. Bush at the rally. Thompson praised the First Lady as an advocate of woman’s health, saying, “It all begins with a healthy woman.”