The latest and perhaps most important step in put-
ting Bush’s legacy in its proper historical context ar- rives with this month’s opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum at the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. With over a quarter of a million square feet of space
and more than 80 terabytes of data, the Bush library may well set the gold standard for future presidential libraries to come. The interactive exhibits, designed around the four
themes of freedom, responsibility, opportunity, and compassion, include a precise replica of the Oval Of- fi ce as it appeared during Bush’s presidency. Everything from White House luncheon menus to
poignant letters from children to a personal note that President Bush wrote on the somber day when the very last bulldozer of debris fi nally was hauled away from Ground Zero will fi nd space at the new library. Artifacts on hand will include the gowns fi rst lady
Laura Bush wore to the presidential inaugural ball, the president’s fl ight suit when he was a pilot for the Texas National Guard, and that bullhorn he used to rally the hearts of a shocked and saddened nation on 9/11. Visual tours of the library and museum, including
some exhibits, are already available online at www.
georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu, and information is also available at the
www.bushcenter.org website. Of course, in the hyperpartisan era that has only
grown worse since Bush left offi ce, political charges of historical revisionism are inevitable. But historians craft their narratives based on the information avail- able, and the veritable treasure trove of Bush admin- istration documents — over 70 million pages of them — will provide a rich vein of historical data for them to mine for decades to come. Some observers hope that if nothing else, the store-
house of information will help fi nally bury the never- proven slur that Bush somehow misled the American people over the existence of WMD in Iraq in order to drum up political support for the war against the des- potic Saddam Hussein. After all, every intelligence agency in the West be-
lieved the same thing, and the U.S. Senate resolution in support of the war passed by an overwhelming 77 to 23 vote. Among the Democrats voting in favor: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, then-Sen. Hillary Clin- ton, and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer. One indication of the prominent role 9/11 and its
aftermath will play in the 43rd president’s library: Its website already boasts an exhaustive “9/11 Resource
Guide” that includes teaching materials for classroom use as well as the poignant letter that Laura Bush ad- dressed to every middle school and high school stu- dent in the country. “The feelings and thoughts that surround this trag-
edy are as plentiful as they are confl icting,” she wrote. “I want to reassure you that there are many people — including your family, your teachers, and your school counselors — who are there to listen to you.” She also reminded them that America enjoyed “a well-earned reputation for pulling together” in the face of adversity. The archive’s historical record will also document
how administration offi cials warned members of Con- gress, and anyone else who would listen, that pressur- ing banks to ease mortgage terms in order to expand home ownership could prove economically disastrous. The controversial steps that the Bush administration took in the dark hours of September 2008 will be on full display.
“President Bush has been diplomatic and gracious since leaving offi ce. And as Americans view him through the lens of history and compare him to modern presidents who struggle to meet the challenges of the 21st century, President Bush’s tenure will continue to look better and better.” — Mark McKinnon, former Bush adviser
So will the Bush library prove that, contrary to
Thomas Jeff erson’s view that a former president’s rep- utation can emerge intact once a reasonable period of time passes by to put things in perspective? Newsmax posed that question to Dr. Larry J. Sa-
bato, the director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “Bush himself assessed the situation accu- rately,” says Sabato. “He’s said repeatedly that histori- ans are still re-evaluating George Washington, the fi rst president. This is a never-ending process.” So what will be Bush’s ultimate legacy, and how will
he be viewed by posterity? “Millions of pages of as-yet undisclosed Bush admin-
istration documents will be available in time, and our perspectives also change with new circumstances and events that occur,” Sabato says. “No one can say what history’s view of Bush will be after passions have cooled and the principals have passed from the scene.”
MAY 2013 | NEWSMAX 59
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