I like Arianna Huffington’s comment on this: “What’s it going to house, 100,000 copies of The Pet Goat?”
He may be a certified lame duck now, but President Bush and his truest believers are about to launch their final campaign – an eye-popping, half-billion-dollar drive for the Bush presidential library.
Eager to begin refurbishing his tattered legacy, the President hopes to raise $500 million to build his library and a think tank at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Bush lived in Dallas until he was elected governor of Texas in 1995.
Bush sources with direct knowledge of library plans told the Daily News that SMU and Bush fund-raisers hope to get half of the half billion from what they call “megadonations” of $10 million to $20 million a pop.
Bush loyalists have already identified wealthy heiresses, Arab nations and captains of industry as potential “mega” donors and are pressing for a formal site announcement – now expected early in the new year.
“You can’t ask people in Dallas for $20 million until they can be sure the library won’t be in Waco,” one Bush source noted.
There’s something telling about this quote. Sounds like one day we’ll have two history books; real history and Bush’s History.
“It’s so much bigger than anything that’s been tried before. But the more you have, the more influence [on history] you can exert.”
Too bad that half billion couldn’t be raised to support libraries around the country that have been cutting hours and not buying new books due to budget cuts. Now that would be a legacy to be proud of.
Can he even read?
#15 I bet he doesn’t know what that is. At the very least he would like to completely rewrite it.
Maybe if it were upside down?
#12
Beautifully put, man.
Chris: Sadly, due to me loosing my psychic powers last week, I didn’t realise the people on this forum “didn’t have an issue with the Clinton Presidential library”. I’d have assumed that people would consider the situations to be similarly scandalous.
Even if – when I was 14 years old, all those years ago – I was an advocate of the Clinton Presidential Library, do you really suppose that means I couldn’t have a different opinion now, in 2006? I’m quite sure you don’t, and would agree that you’ve asked a most ludicrous question.
You say: “GEEZ….get over your anti Bush bias.” I say there’s no bias involved. I would criticise any individual who considered it reasonable to raise donations – (ask yourself what Bush will offer in exchange) – to build a half billion dollar monument to himself.
But, incidentally, this just happens to be a man who’s persistently abused his position, and has allowed hundreds of thousand of soldiers, firemen, and civilians from various countries to die – for his own personal interests.
If Bush finds it so easy to raise that kind of cash, why doesn’t he spend it on something worthwhile, like housing 500,000 homeless Americans? (I do have the answer to that question).
I highly suspect Bush and his friends will put up the money themselves – After all, $500,000,000 is just pocket money to them.
Well, hopefully the building will be a better addition to the landscape than Clinton’s “Mobile Home To the Future”
http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/
OK, here’s a trivia question: Who killed more Americans:
(1) the hijackers on 09/11/01
(2) Saddam Hussein
(3) George Bush
Well, as a guy who VOTED for him, I must admit the answer is #3. Answer 3 is correct because he has sent more patriotic Americans to their death in his illegal little adventure in Iraq (thinly disguised as an anti-terrorism measure) than either the hijackers or Saddam. Answer 2 is incorrect because he killed Iraqis, no Americans.
SO, I’d say the major thing that his library ought to include would be photos and bios of those he sent to their deaths in Iraq.
Of course, this begs the question: In the blog photo, note that the child and Bushie are reading the same book. Bush’s copy is UPSIDE DOWN! So, why should we build a library to honor a guy who can’t even read? (Wasn’t he the same buffoon whose picture was widely circulated looking into a set of binoculars with the lens caps on?
Hernando
a life-long Republican (and not too proud of it)
#15 Geez, it’s just a goddamn piece of paper.
The Bush library won’t rewrite history any more than the Clinton library does. And it will probably look a lot nicer too.
And btw, the “stupid’ jokes are getting old. I am not a Bush fanboy myself, but there’s so much more you can attack the guy over.
David K, the “btw, the ‘stupid’ jokes are getting old” comments are getting old
#26, I wonder if the toilet paper in the GWB Library’s public restrooms will have the text of the Constitution printed on it.
#6 – GEEZ….get over your anti Bush bias. It gets very, very old. Every President raises money for their Presidential library. You didn’t have an issue with the Clinton Presidential library in Little Rock, built for approximately $165 million, why should you have an issue now?
Comment by Chris — 11/28/2006 @ 11:25 am
blah blah blah Clinton blah blah blah Clinton… The horse is dead. Stop beating it. We slam Bush because he is a corrupt silver spoon baby and a nepotistic fuck who never earned a damn thing in his life… And, he’s a draft dodger who can’t even point to being a Rhodes Scholar as an excuse.
He’s a sorry excuse for a president… and he broke the country we’ve all called home for over 230 years.
But mostly, he’s STILL IN OFFICE and thus still very dangerous.
Ummmm…that kid in the picture probably can’t read English and we know Bush can’t read (upside down book as proof).
Can we just dump the pensions for presidents, or at least cap the cost at $50k a year or so.
#32 – I would pay to see a high ranking Republican official make an honest effort to actually live on $50K a year… If Bush needed to do that, his head would explode.
Chris,
Clinton hasn’t been President for SIX YEARS…. Why you come home from Egypt, where you are bathing in denial, and come to terms with the fact that Dubya has an IQ of a houseplant! Get over it already! Are you going to blame Clinton for the Noahcian Deluge too? Realize that there are people in Texas who want to change the name to Tex, because the other part is in the White House, and is moving to Paraguay after he leaves office.
And the REAL reason for the high price of the Bush Library came out last year, I think in this teeny press release:
Fire Destroys Bush Presidential Library
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A tragic fire on Monday destroyed the personal library of President George W. Bush. Both of his books have been lost.
Presidential spokesman Tony Snow said the president was devastated, as he had not finished coloring the second one.
‘Nuff Said!
A Presidential administration generates masses amounts of documents that needs preservation for historical review. Certainly this can be done without a Greek Revival temple, but contractors and locals enjoy the employment. For years Truman kept regular hours at his library, and enjoyed answering the phone early in the morning announcing the boss was speaking.
#6, Conservatives were very outraged when the price of the Clinton Library was announced. I don’t recall any Democrats defending it. Although I concede that all happened a few years ago and some Democrat might have said something. Now here we have the worst President in history raising money from anonymous donors to the tune of three times of what Clinton raised. Why aren’t the same conservatives that were outraged with Clinton not shouting their shrill little voices in horror.
A piece of history. Truman was one of the very few non-rich to become President. As he had no money and few prospects when he left office, the Presidential pension was inaugurated on his behalf. The next non rich President was Ford, who compensated his pension with a very lucrative speaking tour.
BTW, in defense of the Bush picture.
I read an entire book this way a year ago. I was Santa and for the local Library’s children’s party, I read them a book. In order for them to see the pictures, I held the book upside down. As I had 15 minutes before hand to prepare, I knew the story. But trust me, reading even a children’s book upside down isn’t easy.
Will his library have a full staff taser patrol for those who forget their cards?
Will his library have a full staff taser patrol for those who forget their cards?
Will his library be in the basement of his dad’s library?
Things that make you go “hmmmm”.
I will contribute my copy of ‘Fiasco’ ….