George W. Bush Library Finds a Home in Texas

SMU will host presidential library, think-tank
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 23, 2008 5:46 AM CST
George W. Bush Library Finds a Home in Texas
Southern Methodist University President R. Gerald Turner answers questions as Donald L. Evans, chair of the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, looks on during a news conference after the announcement that the presidential library will be constructed at SMU, Friday afternoon, Feb. 22, 2008,...   (Associated Press)

George W. Bush's presidential library will be built at Southern Methodist University, the Dallas Morning News reports. The First Lady's alma mater has had its eyes on that prize since just after Bush took office. "It took us 71 days to find a football coach, so we don't like to rush into things," joked SMU's president. SMU hopes to start building next year.

The library and associated think-tank has been controversial on campus; SMU says academic freedom will be guaranteed, but critics point to a 2001 Bush order allowing presidents, ex-presidents and their heirs to suppress White House records indefinitely.  "As long as that order stands, this library can never become a legitimate research institution," argued one history professor. (More George W. Bush stories.)

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