A Real Bush Presidential Library Could Probably Be Packed Into A Phone Booth

By Manifesto Joe

(And there would be a lot of magazines ...) Today, trustees of Southern Methodist University in Dallas (first lady Laura Bush's alma mater) are expected to approve a long-negotiated deal to locate the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the SMU campus.

They actually faced some opposition among clergy members of the United Methodist Church, who seemed to think that some of the Bush administration's policies are quite at odds with UMC world views. You know, like, insufficiently Christian. (Translation to Southern Baptists: "Them godless lib'ruls") Strange, I can remember when Methodists were considered a mod/con denomination. Times have changed.

But, this approval is inevitable, so Dallas and SMU will host the "Bush Library." I suppose there are going be enough documents and artifacts to fill the plush, roomy digs they are going to build.

Too bad they won't have some of the mangled Humvees, vacant foreclosed homes and photos of disabled people, dying before they can even qualify for disability, on display.

An irony is that this president, from all accounts, isn't much of a reader. He's not alone on that score. Ronald Reagan was known for his love of Louis L'Amour novels. Beyond that, he didn't like to read much. Bush has, at times, allegedly been given some damned reading list that actually included stuff like Albert Camus' The Stranger.

He probably got off on the idea of offing an A-Rab on the beach. And, knowing the history, if he had actually become acquainted with Albert Camus, he would doubtlessly have called him "Bert" and would have mispronounced his last name. It would have come out something like the dude who once played shortstop for the old Kansas City Athletics.

I suppose they have to put Bush's library somewhere, so as to have some Texas repository host all the documented horror inflicted on the nation for eight years. If it were up to me, I would have recommended Midland Community College, or whatever they have out there, and put it in a corrugated metal building somewhere in the vocational trades area.

SMU minority, message: I feel your pain.

Manifesto Joe Is An Underground Writer Living In Texas.