Bush presidential center opens

Obama, 4 predecessors on hand for dedication in Dallas

President Barack Obama (from left) and former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter arrive Thursday for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.
President Barack Obama (from left) and former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter arrive Thursday for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

DALLAS - Presidents past and present lionized one of their own Thursday, putting politics aside as President George W. Bush dedicated the library that documents his place in history.

President Barack Obama praised his predecessor’s strength and resolve after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, calling Bush a “good man” who faced the storm head-on.

“My deepest conviction, the guiding principle of the administration, is that the United States of America must strive to expand the reach of freedom,” Bush said. “I believe that freedom is a gift from God and the hope of every human heart.”

Obama and Bush spoke along with the three other living former presidents in a rare reunion at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

The presidents lauded Bush’s aid to the people of Africa, his effort to reach across the aisle on issues such as immigration and education, and his leadership in the days after the 2001 terrorist attacks. But they avoided mentioning the two wars - in Iraq and Afghanistan - that dominated much of Bush’s time in office.

The presidents - Obama, Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter - were cheered by a crowd of former White House officials and world leaders as they took the stage together for the dedication. They were joined onstage by their wives - the nation’s current and former first ladies - for the outdoor ceremony on a sun-splashed Texas morning. For the younger Bush, 66, the ceremony also marked his unofficial return to the public eye four years after the end of his deeply polarizing presidency.

The five men have been described as members of the world’s most exclusive club, but Obama said they are “more like a support group.”

After the dedication, Obama traveled to Waco for a memorial for victims of last week’s deadly fertilizer-plant explosion.

The elder Bush, who has been hospitalized recently with bronchitis, spoke haltingly for just about 30 seconds while seated in a wheelchair, thanking guests for turning out to support his son. A standing ovation for him lasted nearly as long as his comments, and his son and wife, Barbara Bush, helped him to his feet to recognize the applause.

Clinton, too, was warmly received by the heavily Republican crowd who applauded and laughed along with his joke-peppered speech. He concluded on a serious note about the importance of the leaders coming together. “Debate and difference is an important part of every free society,” Clinton said.

Carter praised the younger Bush for his role in helping secure peace between North and South Sudan in 2005 and his approval of expanded aid to the nations of Africa.

Key moments and themes from George W. Bush’s presidency - the harrowing, the controversial and the inspiring - were not far removed from the minds of the presidents and guests assembled to dedicate the center. The center’s interactive exhibits invite scrutiny of Bush’s big decisions as president, including the financial bailout, the Iraq War, and the international focus on HIV and AIDS.

The center will include more than 70 million pages of paper records, 200 million e-mails, 4 million digital photographs and about 43,000 items collected during Bush’s presidency. The library will feature the largest digital holdings of any of the 13 presidential libraries under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration, officials said. Situated in a 15-acre urban park at Southern Methodist University, the center includes 226,000 square feet of indoor space.

A full-scale replica of the Oval Office as it looked during Bush’s tenure sits on the campus, as does a piece of steel from the World Trade Center and the bullhorn that Bush used to punctuate the chaos at ground zero three days after 9/11. In the museum, visitors can gaze at a container of chads - the remnants of the infamous Florida punch card ballots that played a pivotal role in the contested 2000 election that sent Bush to Washington.

From El Salvador to Ghana, Bush contemporaries and former heads of state made their way to Texas to salute the former American leader. Among the foreign leaders were former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Also, marking the occasion were protesters, at least three of whom were arrested at a march in Dallas.

The three were placed in patrol cars as about 200 people marched and chanted near the Southern Methodist University campus. Police Lt. A.W. Williams said the three face a charge of being a pedestrian in a roadway, a misdemeanor. They were taken to the Dallas County jail.

Demonstrations were restricted to a cordoned-off area and separated from the presidential center by a highway.

Among the protesters was ex-talk show host Phil Donahue, who was executive producer of the anti-war documentary Body of War.

Dozens of others wore signs listing the names of those who died in wars started by the Bush administration. Information for this article was contributed by Nomaan Merchant of The Associated Press.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 04/26/2013

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