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Convergence of Presidents at Bush Library Dedication
Convergence of Presidents at Bush Library Dedication
(about 3 hours later)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Tex. — President Obama joined all of his living predecessors on Thursday to pay tribute to George W. Bush as the arguments of the past decade gave way, at least for a day, to a more generous appraisal of a leader who responded to great challenges with determination and grit.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Tex. — Standing in front of the magisterial brick-and-limestone George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on Thursday, Bill Clinton summed up the day with a knowing smile. “I told President Obama,” he said, “that this was the latest, grandest example of the eternal struggle of former presidents to rewrite history.”
The five current and past presidents gathered for the first time since Mr. Obama’s 2009 inauguration to dedicate the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum here on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Joining them was a collection of current and former foreign leaders and lawmakers as well as hundreds of former Bush administration officials and thousands of his admirers.
All five veterans of the Oval Office onstage could relate to that: If every memoirist is the star of his own story, every president is the hero of his own library.
Mr. Obama praised Mr. Bush for his resolve after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his compassion in fighting AIDS in Africa and his commitment to overhauling the immigration system. Treading lightly over their disagreements over Iraq and other issues, the president said his predecessor had fought for what he thought was best for his country.
So the protagonist who emerged as Mr. Bush’s library was formally dedicated on Thursday was a resolute leader who protected the nation after Sept. 11, 2001, raised education standards, pushed to overhaul the immigration system and brought peace to the war-torn nation of Sudan. His peers highlighted his AIDS-fighting program, which is credited with saving millions of lives in Africa.
“We know President Bush the man,” Mr. Obama told the crowd in front of the brick-and-limestone center on a bright, sunny Texas day. “To know the man is to like the man. Because he’s comfortable in his own skin. He knows who he is. He doesn’t put on any pretenses. He takes his job seriously but he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He is a good man.”
The words Iraq and Afghanistan, however, never passed Mr. Bush’s lips, or those of the four other presidents who spoke.
It was an emotional moment for Mr. Bush, coming four years after leaving office with historic low poll numbers. Bathed in the admiration of his former team and his presidential peers, he recalled the goals that guided his time in office and choked up as he finished his speech. Sitting down to applause, he smiled and wiped tears from his eyes.
They alluded to the American wars there by praising Mr. Bush’s deep concern for wounded soldiers and the families of those killed in combat, but put aside for a day the arguments over how the wars were conducted, why they were waged and what they accomplished.
“In democracy, the purpose of public office is not to fulfill personal ambition,” he said. “Elected officials must serve a cause greater than themselves. The political winds blow left and right, polls rise and fall, supporters come and go. But in the end leaders are defined by the convictions that they hold.”
“One of the benefits of freedom is that people can disagree,” Mr. Bush told a crowd of thousands on a bright Texas day. “It’s fair to say I created plenty of opportunities to exercise that right. But when future generations come to this library and study this administration, they’re going to find out that we stayed true to our convictions.”
Mr. Bush, 66, acknowledged the controversies of his time, noting that freedom means the freedom to disagree. “It’s fair to say I created plenty of opportunities to exercise that right,” he said with a smile.
For Mr. Bush, 66, who spent the last four years listening in silence as his successor faulted his leadership, this was an emotional day. Bathed in the admiration of a friendly crowd and enjoying a modest resurgence of public appreciation in recent surveys, he choked up as he finished speaking and wiped tears from his eyes after sitting down.
But he added that visitors to his library will see how he saw it. “They’re going to find out that we stayed true to our convictions,” he said, “that we expanded freedom at home by raising standards in schools and lowering taxes for everybody, that we liberated nations from dictatorship and freed people from AIDS. And that when freedom came under attack, we made the tough decisions required to keep the American people safe.”
While critics have fumed about what they called the whitewashing of his record in the media blitz leading up to the library dedication, many Americans have been reminded about aspects of Mr. Bush they once liked. Advisers said they hoped the moment would help history draw a fuller picture.
Laura Bush opened the ceremony by honoring her husband as a caring man who comforted a nation during times of terrorism and war as president and has continued to help the afflicted by rehabilitating a health clinic in Africa as a former president. “I remember how steadfast and steady he was for eight years,” she said, adding, “My George is a man who when someone needs a hand offers them their arms.”
“It’s never been about presenting him,” said Nicolle Wallace, who worked on Mr. Bush’s re-election campaign and in the White House. “It’s been about revealing him.”
In addition to Mr. Obama, former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and the first George Bush spoke at the program.
The $250 million library, on the campus of Southern Methodist University, reframes many elements of the Bush presidency, domestic, economic and foreign, as part of his “freedom agenda,” linking together sometimes disparate policies in a single narrative thread.
The event was a public re-emergence of sorts for the elder Mr. Bush, 88, who spent weeks in a hospital last winter and at one point appeared close to death. Now in a wheelchair because of a form of Parkinson’s disease in his legs, Mr. Bush, the 41st president, has recovered considerably and remains lively and engaged, according to people who have seen him lately.
“In democracy, the purpose of public office is not to fulfill personal ambition,” Mr. Bush said.“Elected officials must serve a cause greater than themselves. The political winds blow left and right, polls rise and fall, supporters come and go. But in the end leaders are defined by the convictions that they hold. And my deepest conviction, the guiding principle of the administration, is that the United States of America must strive to expand the reach of freedom.”
Mr. Bush said only a few words thanking the crowd and those who had made the library. “It’s very special for Barbara and me,” he said, wrapping up by saying, “God bless America, and thank you very much.”
Jimmy Carter, Mr. Bush’s father and Mr. Clinton have opened their own libraries, likewise shaping their histories as they preferred. Mr. Obama can be expected to do the same soon enough. On this day, they collectively wrapped their arms around a fellow member of the club.
The crowd seemed to want more, but when he just waved, they stood in ovation. In an emotional moment, the former president with the help of his son on one side and Mrs. Bush on the other managed to lift himself to his feet for a few moments in acknowledgment
“We know President Bush the man,” Mr. Obama said. “To know the man is to like the man. Because he’s comfortable in his own skin. He knows who he is. He doesn’t put on any pretenses. He takes his job seriously, but he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He is a good man.”
Mr. Clinton, who has become so close to the Bushes that he is often described as a virtual member of the family, offered warm praise for Mr. Bush as a president and quasi-brother, mentioning as Mr. Obama did the AIDS program and immigration fight.
Mr. Obama, whose first presidential campaign was built on opposition to the Iraq war, praised Mr. Bush for his bullhorn-in-the-rubble fortitude after Sept. 11 and said his predecessor fought for what he thought was best for his country. He linked his own effort to overhaul the immigration system to Mr. Bush’s. “If we do that, it will be in large part thanks to the hard work of President George W. Bush,” Mr. Obama said.
He lightly touched on the purpose of any presidential library. “I told President Obama that this was the latest, grandest example of the eternal struggle of former presidents to rewrite history,” Mr. Clinton said with a smile.
Mr. Clinton, who has become close to the Bush family, offered warm words and recounted how he and Mr. Bush used to talk politics while his successor was in office. Referring to the library behind him, he joked, “Dear God, I hope there’s no record of those conversations in this vast and beautiful building.” Hillary Rodham Clinton, sitting onstage with the other presidents and first ladies, laughed robustly.
He recalled how he and Mr. Bush used to talk while his successor was in office, then referring to the library behind him joked, “Dear God, I hope there’s no record of those conversations in this vast and beautiful building.” Hillary Rodham Clinton, sitting on stage with the other presidents and first ladies, laughed robustly.
Mr. Carter, one of the fiercest critics of the Iraq war, talked about how Mr. Bush ended war in Sudan and helped Africa. “I’m filled with admiration for you and deep gratitude for you about the contributions you’ve made to the most needy people on earth,” he told Mr. Bush.
Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush hugged after his talk.
The event was a public re-emergence for Mr. Bush’s father, who spent weeks in a hospital last winter and at one point appeared close to death. Now in a wheelchair because he has a form of Parkinson’s disease, Mr. Bush, 88, said only a few words, thanking those who made his son’s library. “It’s very special for Barbara and me,” he said.
Mr. Carter, who was a fierce critic of Mr. Bush and the war in Iraq during his presidency, praised not only the AIDS program but also recalled how Mr. Bush had helped stop more than two decades of war in Sudan. “George W. Bush is responsible for that,” Mr. Carter said.
The crowd stood in ovation. In a poignant moment, the former president — with the help of his son and Barbara Bush — lifted himself to his feet for a few moments in acknowledgment.
Turning to Mr. Bush, Mr. Carter added, “I’m filled with admiration for you and deep gratitude for you about the great contributions you’ve made to the most needy people on earth.”
Also on hand was former Vice President Dick Cheney, who appeared revitalized after having a heart transplant last year. Wearing a cowboy hat, Mr. Cheney was introduced along with members of presidential families, but he had no speaking role.
Also on hand was former Vice President Dick Cheney, who after a heart transplant last year appeared physically revitalized and in good spirits. Wearing a cowboy hat and khakis, he attended a casual reunion of administration officials at a Dallas bar on Wednesday night and never even made it inside as he chatted in the parking lot until past 11 p.m. with colleagues like Karl Rove and Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Ted Cruz of Texas and posed for pictures with former aides and complete strangers alike.
Mr. Cheney makes only cameo appearances in the museum exhibits, and in an interview broadcast this week, the younger Mr. Bush described their relationship as “cordial” — a word that left the impression that the two were not close because of their fight in the waning days of the administration over a pardon for the vice president’s former chief of staff.
Mr. Cheney was introduced along with members of presidential families but took his seat in the audience and had no speaking role in the event. In an interview aired this week, Mr. Bush described their relationship as “cordial,” a word that left the impression that the two were not as close because of the dispute in the waning days of the administration over a pardon for Mr. Cheney’s convicted chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr.
Perhaps to refute that, Mr. Bush offered warm words for Mr. Cheney from the stage. “He served with loyalty, principle and strength,” Mr. Bush said. “I’m proud to call you friend.”
Perhaps to counter that, Mr. Bush from the stage singled out his vice president and offered warm words for him. “He served with loyalty, principal and strength,” Mr. Bush said. “I’m proud to call you friend.”
Among others spotted or expected on Thursday were former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; White House aides like Andrew H. Card Jr., Joshua B. Bolten, Karen Hughes, Dan Bartlett, Joe Hagin, Joel Kaplan, Mary Matalin, Harriet Miers and Anita McBride; and political advisers like Ken Mehlman and Mark McKinnon.
Current and former foreign leaders like Tony Blair of Britain, Ehud Olmert of Israel, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy and John Howard of Australia were also present, as were current and former Republican lawmakers like Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas, and Bill Frist of Tennessee, the former Senate majority leader.
In addition to the presidents and their wives, other presidential families were represented by Lucy Johnson, Lynda Robb, Tricia Nixon Cox, Susan Ford Bales and Michael Reagan.
Mr. Bush’s foundation raised more than $500 million for the presidential complex and associated programs. The $250 million facility, on 23 acres at S.M.U., houses the library and museum, which will be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration, and a public policy institute, which will remain under Mr. Bush’s control to promote favored causes like global health and democracy.
The museum features the story of Mr. Bush’s presidency as he sees it, a narrative driven by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and his responses to it. Everything from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to an expansive program to fight AIDS in Africa are cast under the larger theme of spreading freedom around the world.
Critics will not find enough about controversies like the inaccurate intelligence that preceded the invasion of Iraq or the stuttered initial response to Hurricane Katrina, but the museum includes an interactive theater to let visitors decide how they would have handled major challenges. Mr. Bush and his advisers said they were intent on exhibits short on hagiography and long on information that would help Americans see the various moments of decision through the president’s eyes.
“The museum does give people the opportunity to hear the different points of view that I got on these particular issues,” Mr. Bush told CNN’s John King. “The purpose of which is not to try to defend the policy. The purpose of which is to try to show people what it's like to be the president. And how you make decisions. History will ultimately judge the decisions that were made for Iraq, and I’m just not going to be around to see the final verdict.”
