President's daughters thank campaign supporters at SNC President George Bush's twin daughters, Jenna (left) and Barbara, meet with students at St. Norbert College Wednesday (photo by H. Marc Larson). Daughters talk about their family, father's character By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle The twin daughters of PresidentBush campaigned on their father's behalf at St. Norbert College in De Pere on Wednesday. Jenna and Barbara Bush appeared at a campaign phone booth organized in the Vanden Heuvel Campus Center where about 80 students sat making cellular phone calls and leaving messages saying that the president supports hunters' rights while his opponent, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, receives a failing grade from the National Rifle Association. The sisters' appearance was the first of three in Wisconsin on Wednesday, followed by stops in Oshkosh and Milwaukee, all in college settings. The 22-year-old Bush daughters mixed family anecdotes into their speeches. Jenna said she was glad her mother, First lady Laura Bush, had broken one promise she made to the president, that she would never deliver a political speech. "This month alone she'll be giving 30 speeches," Jenna said, adding that she believes her mother really does enjoy it. She listed her father's qualities, calling him "open-minded," in a way that lets his daughters develop their own beliefs. He is "down to earth" and humorous, she said. Their father's sense of discipline, however, was not always a characteristic that worked in their favor when it came to their curfews, Jenna added. She highlighted her father's dedication to procuring an education for every child, whether they live in the United States or Afghanistan. Barbara implied that a vote for the president is a vote for the first lady, who she described as an advocate for women's rights and a teacher. "A huge benefit of voting for him is you get to keep my mom in the White House for four more years," she said. She spoke on how young people are politically active and care about employment opportunities, ensuring that people in other countries have the same opportunities as Americans and spreading freedom to make the world more peaceful. Being a Republican in college is hard, she said. "Some people think you're not supposed to vote Republican until you turn 40," she said, but added she has seen many young Republicans on the campaign trail. Eric Toney, an SNC junior, said he liked the speeches, especially when Jenna likened her appearance to that of a "mummy" after she covered herself with wet paper towels to cool off during a hot baseball game she attended with her father. "It was kind of funny, just being honest like that, not afraid to kind of embarrass herself in front of everybody," he said. Toney said their speeches humanized the Bush family. Jenna Check, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay junior, said the president's daughters are really helping the campaign. "I think they're really appealing to the college crowd," she said. "And I give them a lot of credit. I think it would be very hard to have your father under that much ridicule all the time," she said. Sarah Kaminski, a freshman at SNC, was excited to meet the twins. "They're just so nice, and they're just gorgeous," she said. "They're like celebrities." Michelle Nault, a SNC junior, was among the students who saw the president's daughters. It was her first time making phone calls on behalf of the campaign. Students said they were leaving a lot of messages on answering machines, but overall felt like they were receiving positive response from the people they were calling. "We don't really know if it's working, but some people are getting through, so that's good," Nault said. "It's actually a lot more positive than I thought it would be. I pictured myself being like a telemarketer and people hanging up on me, but it's really a lot better than that," she said.