The George W. Bush Library -- Bring It On

The Bush Library at A&M -- Picture courtesy Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
The search committee for the George W. Bush Library has settled on SMU in Dallas for its location; SMU won the honor over finalists Baylor in Waco and University of Dallas in Irving. You might think that Dallas, a city that is attraction-challenged, would welcome the library. Dallas is most frequently associated with a defunct TV series and a notorious presidential assassination. There is nothing that would compel anyone in San Francisco or New York to hop a plane and come here. If I had to list our top attractions it would be: JFK Museum, JR's Ranch, West End, Reunion Tower, 6 Flags and North Park. Wichita Falls and Texarkana have more to offer than that. So I was shocked to see that 100 SMU Professors appeared at a hearing last week to register their opposition, thinking that the library will taint SMU academics or imprint the school with the misdeeds of George W. Bush's presidency.

What can I say? I'm a Gore-reading, Kerry-loving Democrat and see no problem with the library. The library will be a repository of Bush documents and papers, and probably stir up lots of discussion about his term in office. LBJ was hardly without controversies -- his museum at UT Austin is not a shrine nor is it an apology for the ex-President. In years since his death, the Viet Nam War exhibit has been greatly expanded. The museum has been a boon to Austin tourism and contributed to the body of knowledge about all that went on during the years from Kennedy thru Nixon.

Now as if the academicians aren't enough, the snobby neighbors of University Park are afraid a beautiful new library will cause a traffic problem. Where to begin? This affluent 'hood is one where every car sported a "W" bumper sticker or one that read "Bush - I can't wait to vote for him". This is the way these elitist hypocrites show affection to their man?? Dallas has a pretty clogged east-west thoroughfare, Mockingbird Lane. Mockingbird borders SMU on the South and the W library would probably be located there. Mockingbird is a busy commercial avenue east of Central Expressway or west of Lemon Avenue. But in between, it is a terribly choked, narrow two-lane residential street. It was hopeless way before any library, and the library wouldn't register any difference. The Bush building would most likely be right at Mockingbird and Central, so that much of the traffic is from Central. Part of the reason that Mockingbird has arteriosclerosis is that the anti-library quibblers have lobbied to keep it that way. They won't rest until Dallas is as dull and tedious as they are.

In a final analysis, we have a bunch of namby-pamby hypocritical whiners -- they can't appreciate a cultural event when it happens. I'm thinking that SMU has its legal, easement ducks in a row. A local lawyer has challenged the demolition of the University Park condos, but no telling how far that will go. The Bush presidency was marked by many tumultuous things -- 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Much to discuss with all that went on; let's have that discussion here in Dallas, at a grand new library and cultural center.

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