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The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual.

-Samuel Smiles

Bush's Presidential Library

Do you know where will the George W. Bush presidential library be built?

[Pause for obligatory but frankly unwelcome literacy jokes.]

Okay, seriously, where will the George W. Bush presidential library be built? Southern Methodist University is reportedly the front-runner for what will be the thirteenth presidential library in the nation. This would make it the sixth presidential library to be located on a university campus. But universities being what they are, it comes as no surprise that the proposal has sparked debate and controversy at SMU.

Negotiations to build George W. Bush's presidential library at Southern Methodist University have divided the campus, pitting the administration and some alumni against members of the liberal-leaning faculty who say the project would be an embarrassment to the school.

Some professors have complained that the combined library, museum and think tank would celebrate a presidency that unnecessarily took the country into a war.

The fear is that the library "will continue to espouse the philosophy and practice of the Bush administration, which has seriously divided our nation and has brought the ire of other countries," said William McElvaney, a retired professor…

Of course, it is nothing new to have a little controversy associated with a presidential library. Recall ten years ago, when then-president Bill Clinton chose a riverfront location in Little Rock, Arkansas as the location for his presidential library.

[C]ity leaders offered Clinton the warehouse district acreage. He took it. The city was soon embroiled in lawsuits. Property owners challenged the use of eminent domain to claim the land for a presidential library. Another citizen tried, unsuccessfully, to block the use of taxpayer money (revenue bonds) for the project.

In 2001, an 1899 depot was discovered enshrined in an aluminum building on the site. Preservationists fought for the building, but eventually lost the fight in court and the depot was destroyed.

At another point, protesters picketed city hall when the city decided to name the street in front of the library President Clinton Avenue. It ultimately compromised: Only half the street was named after him.

Controversies, of course, are hardly unique to the Clinton library. Boston's John F. Kennedy Presidential Library didn't open until 1979 because of location and architectural issues. The Jimmy Carter Library in Atlanta faced problems when an access road threatened local historic neighborhoods.

"All presidential libraries face controversy," says Lynn Scott Cochrane, director of libraries at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Well obviously they do. Presidents themselves face controversy, and their legacies can be no different. But people some people insist on treating this library, this president, and this controversy as somehow different from the usual. It’s not surprising to find Olbermann and Huffington are upset. Olbermann:

Are we going to need a federal law to cap spending on presidential libraries?...libraries and think tanks that are spending millions to try to prop up the image of their namesakes; trying to rewrite history for men who have long since ceased to be a part of the political picture?

I know – how dare Bush or his supporters try to have a hand in writing history - that's clearly Olbermann's job. Note that when he and Huffington complain about the expense, they are not talking about tax dollars. In light of that, I would wonder what legal justification Olbermann had for such a suggestion... that is, I would if I took him seriously enough to think he could answer that question.

As I said, it’s not surprising to find complaint from that crowd. The surprise may be the opposition from faith-based groups, as highlighted by a recent article in the Houston Business Journal.

Hope for Peace & Justice, a faith-based social justice organization based in Dallas, is concerned about the reputation of Dallas and the safety of local residents if the library and proposed think tank are built at SMU, as the "Bush Library will no doubt be a terrorist target,"said the Rev. Michael Piazza, president of Hope for Peace & Justice.

and

"Dallas has worked for decades to escape the reputation as the 'City that killed Kennedy,'" said Rev. Piazza. "We do not need to return to that right- wing reputation. Playing host to Mr. Bush's well-funded, neo-conservative think-tank will taint our reputation indelibly. Residents need to guard their reputation and say, 'No thank you Mr. President.'"

Now that’s opposition from Bush’s supposed core – Christian conservatives!

Oops, wait – the website for the group says they are “equipping progressive people of faith to be champions for peace and justice.” (emphasis mine) Sounds like the Houston Business Journal was just being misleading about plain old partisanship. Let’s rewrite the way this is all being reported. It should go something like this:

President George W. Bush’s presidential library will be at Southern Methodist University. Bush-haters hate it. The end.

There is no reason to raise the specters of terrorism, assassination, and parking in this conversation. It’s hyperbole, and as such should be ignored.

If you are one of those people who find Stephen Colbert funny, follow this link for his take on the issue. (Okay, I admit I only included that in an attempt to get Rammage riled up.)

Posted by Wulf on January 27, 2007 at 03:56 PM

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The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual.

-Samuel Smiles

Bush's Presidential Library

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