Bush library may become a ‘white elephant.’
By on Dec 28th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Bush library may become a ‘white elephant.’
The London Sunday Times suggests today that the cost of President Bush’s library may exceed its usefulness, writing that the library is “in danger of becoming a white elephant.” The Times notes that while the National Archive uses taxpayer dollars to pay presidential library staffers to maintain presidential papers, an executive order Bush signed in 2001 will allow him to withhold any documents he chooses from the library’s collection. The order threatens the traditional usefulness of presidential libraries that generally “show the president ‘warts and all.’”
(ThinkProgress has been keeping a close eye on developments with the Bush library, and we will continue to do so. Read our related posts here.)
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I am pleased to see Bush’s own policies may be coming back to bite – A physical monument to the worst president in history.
December 28th, 2008 at 11:37 amCould this also be a metaphor for the party represented by an elephant?
Speaking of “White Elephants”, maybe this library could be the Taj Mahal of the Repug Party; the final graveyard for eternity of a failed party that tried to destroy the country I so love.
Speaking of libraries, I can’t believe that anyone would believe the BS that Rover is trowing around about King George reading almost 2 books a week. If he is reading 2 books a week, they must be coming from the recommended lists for 5th grade readers. I bet if you spotted him the i, the d, another i, and an o, he still couldn’t spell IDIOT
December 28th, 2008 at 11:39 amIf Bush withholds documents, then there is no purpose to visit the library. It will be just another failure to add to Bush’s long list of others.
December 28th, 2008 at 11:43 amIt might be interesting to see the myriad of “executive” orders/sticky notes that he put on all of the bills that he signed undoing all of the laws that used to protect people. Like the Clean Air act into the “Blue Skies” initiative for one.
And barkleyg … in order to be a “man of letters” one must have written something important and used critical thinking skills to do so. I believe that we are still waiting for evidence of the later with our current President.
December 28th, 2008 at 11:53 amSMU will/has become the laughing stock of the worlds leaning institutions for housing this idiot criminal’s monument to himself.
It may boost the local economy, if they let street vendors sell rotten vegetables for people to throw at it, though.
December 28th, 2008 at 11:53 amSMU will/has become the laughing stock of the worlds learning institutions for housing this idiot criminal’s monument to himself.
Doh!
December 28th, 2008 at 11:55 amA presidentially themed waterslide would be much more cost effecient, and more apt.
A five story escalator ride to the top, one is met by attendants who convince riders the whole thing is on fire, and the only escape is down the slide. A Mission Accomplished banner on top of the slide, slipping down the flue one passes depictions of highlights of the administration. Needless to say, the speed at which they travel gives riders a slightly condensed version: the first 3/4 of the ride are composed of 9/11 images, along with the fallen statue of Saddam.
Profits will be maximized, since visitors can’t waste time standing around gawking.
December 28th, 2008 at 12:02 pmI guess warts = war crimes in the view of the London Sunday Times Of course as pointed out on Young Turks there are too many democrats involved to bring the heat of a new administration done on these assclowns.
December 28th, 2008 at 12:05 pmThanks so much for herding these “library” stories. Who but Bush would plan a library fairly devoid of papers or books? And Karl Rove says Bush is a great reader! (Really, he does say that.)
The Constant Weader at http://www.RealityChex.com
December 28th, 2008 at 12:16 pmThe Bush Library will be a monument to re-writing history.
May the good students of SMU forever maintain a protest outside its doors. Or, perhaps, just post a sign that reads, “SMU disavows the contents of the Bush Library. We just wanted the money for locating it here.”
December 28th, 2008 at 12:22 pmOh, no. Surely there can’t be missing or altered documents and revised history in the monument to failure. Gasp Shriek Horrors
December 28th, 2008 at 12:50 pmNational Archive uses taxpayer dollars to pay presidential library staffers
Library staffers? Too legit for this (p)resident. Hopefully Obama’s infrastructure plan will include hiring waste management workers from the heart of Texas to manage his predecessor’s horrendous legacy.
December 28th, 2008 at 12:52 pmThe Bush presidency is a white elephant — a deadly, sneering, rampaging white elephant.
December 28th, 2008 at 12:59 pmLiberies are for books, not for ignorant War Criminals who can’t hardly read “My pet Goat”. Bush’s libery (It make me laugh everytime I say it!) is a waist of Tax payers money. If the USA was a serious country, Bush would never be placed (He was never elected!) as president little less build a ‘libary’ in his honour when people in New Orleans are still without houses and across the country people are losing their jobs. It would be a lot cheaper to buy a pair of hand cuffs!
December 28th, 2008 at 1:29 pmSorry I meant Libery… english is a second laguage and it is very early here in Sydney!
December 28th, 2008 at 1:30 pmIt would be a lot cheaper to buy a pair of hand cuffs!
December 28th, 2008 at 1:31 pm(I should’ve just said that!)
The white elephant to go with the pink elephant this drunken crooks talks to everyday.
December 28th, 2008 at 2:26 pmNow isn’t that interesting? I guess another executive order can just undo this bit of childishness.
Bush thinks he was a king or something……
by the way, many of us are documenting all we can of the failures of the bush admin and the gop over the last 8 years. It will be invaluable for debunking thier lies in the upcoming elections.
You can’t hide from the truth and you can’t deny the facts……..
December 28th, 2008 at 2:38 pmLong before this joke got as far along as it has, someone should have realized that putting the words “Bush” and “library” together was an exercise in absurdity.
December 28th, 2008 at 3:31 pm” the cost of President Bush’s library may exceed its usefulness”
Let me fix that.
The cost of President Bush has FAR exceeded his usefulness.
There.
December 28th, 2008 at 4:06 pm” May become” – How can it “become” a white elephant when it was already a white elephant before it left the drawing board ?
December 28th, 2008 at 4:07 pmLet me put this and the immediate next item on TP together.
Rice says that Bush foreign “policy” (ha, ha, putting the two together kill me! not to mention many thousands other folks in Iraq and Afghanistan) get an A+. Not just an A mind you, but A PLUS !!!!!!
How ? We know that Bush has sequestered his papers, so the library will be an empty shell – quite symbolic of the Bush legacy and the institute at the library formed to spin Bush’s heritage.
Bush – direct descendant of President Pierce. A chain of the worst presidents on record. Bush – descendant of Prescott Bush – with all questions about Prescott trying to overthrow the US govt and institute a system similar to Nazi-ism, complete with eugenics.
December 28th, 2008 at 4:12 pmwarts..??? you mean festering boils..drip…..drip….drip
December 28th, 2008 at 4:27 pm“May the good students of SMU forever maintain a protest outside its doors”
Considering how many Methodist Ministers find Bush offensive that’s more than a bit possible.
I expect dozens of students to keep it from being built via protest.
December 28th, 2008 at 5:07 pmA BUSH library? That’s a bad joke. A library for George Bush, who can’t speak properly, write a note or think, who is essentially illiterate? Please, people, wise up. He doesn’t need a library; he needs an education.
December 28th, 2008 at 5:47 pm“Bush Library” – the ultimate oxymoron
December 28th, 2008 at 6:39 pmThe library should be placed in the federal penitentiary with the Criminal Bush, who belongs behind bars for treason and war crimes.
December 28th, 2008 at 7:23 pmMore like a brown turd…
December 28th, 2008 at 8:02 pmA library for this President. A shallow thinker, a mediocre student with no interest in anything but fun and games. A permanent frat boy.
A third rate politician. A rich mans son, that was carried everywhere by his fathers influence and money. A failed businessman. A Governor whose only claim to fame was this record for imposing the death penalty on more people then all the states combined.
A man whose fondest recollections of childhood were blowing up frogs with fire crackers, and being the only one in his fraternity that was willing to initiate new members. He did this by heating up a wire coat hanger and branding them. This is one whose mind is damaged.
And when you think of all he has done, all he has condoned during the last eight years, and he gets a library. A library to immortalize his two terms. And on top of all this. He gets a lifetime pension and secret service protection forever.
No more please. Spare us your sparkling conversation, your smirk, your strut and your eschewed way of looking at life, your delusions. Just go.
December 28th, 2008 at 8:11 pman executive order Bush signed in 2001 will allow him to withhold any documents he chooses from the library’s collection. The order threatens the traditional usefulness of presidential libraries that generally “show the president ‘warts and all.’”
Considering that Bush’s administration has been nothing but warts, that doesn’t leave much for the archive, does it?
Hell, they won’t even reveal the visitor’s logs for the White House.
December 28th, 2008 at 8:13 pmThere is a facebook group started to create a Bush Unpresidential library. It would actually be in his home state and keep the complete record. Also, it would have a large statue of Dick Chenny out in front. Please join if you are on facebook and think this is awesome:
December 28th, 2008 at 9:58 pmThe link didn’t show. Here is another try:
December 28th, 2008 at 9:59 pmhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=50926846078&ref=mf
December 28th, 2008 at 10:00 pmOne giant empty warehouse with “My Pet Goat” on a little pedestal in the middle.
I’m curious as to whether the library would take on records at a later date if released by future administrations or FOIA rulings. If not, then it’s pretty much worthless.
December 28th, 2008 at 10:30 pmHey, did California ever name the sewage treatment plant for the Shrub? They should put a picture of that in the front entryway.
December 28th, 2008 at 10:37 pmGiven the utter absence of books in the Presidential life, a museum might be better.
They could display, for example, devices the future President used to torture animals, or the stained underwear he wore on 9/11. Or his National Guard memorabilia. Or his cheerleading outfit. This would be of great interest to historians, psychologists, and criminologists.
On the nature of Bubbles:
December 29th, 2008 at 6:30 amhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Ocbt6l5NE
Talk about friggin grade inflation. Non-educational professionals should not practice education, just like non-professionals should not practice medicine. Just think of No Child Left Behind et. al. this brilliance came from a very proud C student Yale grad, Chimpy W. Bush. Please all of you go away ASAP & let the adults run this country.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:13 pmBush Library = 1 big white elephant turd. No Nowledge will take place here.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:27 pm“My Pet Goat” required reading.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:33 pmhere comes the creation museum of presidential archives.
December 29th, 2008 at 8:16 pm