Dedication of George W Bush Library
 

Watching the dedication this morning. It has been beautiful and interesting.

Amazing to see all of the former presidents together and being so complimentary & friendly to each other. Expecially touching to see George Bush, 41, struggle to stand for the acknowledgement of those in attendance. We won't have him with us much longer. Laura Bush's speech was gracious and moving... of course I am a big, big fan of hers!

And much respect for Condi Rice for getting through all the names of foreign dignitaries with hardly a stumble!

The security in the area is incredible... I am not even going near that part of town. How they protect all those heads of state must be a nightmare of epic proportions.

Love, love, LOVE Laura Bush. She puts the "Lady" in "First Lady".

Me, too!

I heard that this is the very first time that the parents of a president dedicating his library were alive and able to attend the ceremony. Very moving!

Yay for Dallas traffic. I have to drive through that this evening. Not looking forward to it.

I think it's great, though.

I have heard an interview with one of the former Presidents (I think it was Carter) where he talked about how the former Presidents are almost always very close because they are the only ones who truly understand what their life is/was like as President. The responsibility, the security, essentially living in a glass house, etc. They all seem pretty humbled by the experience too.

Nancy Gibbs wrote a book, The President's Club, which discusses that closeness.

Daffymom

I just finished that book last week. It is really amazing how historically the presidents, regardless of party, have to a large degree supported the person in office, because of their regard for the office.

Herbert Hoover, reviled at the end of his term as a poor president, was basically (at Truman's request) the architect of the Marshall Plan and the rebuilding of Europe after WWII.

Eisenhower helping Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs, Nixon's trips back to Russia (to help Reagan, and later Clinton), Carter's missions Haiti to help Clinton.

This is a story that continues to repeat throughout history.

Haven't I read somewhere that Clinton and HW Bush are very close these days? They have a father/son relationship I think I remember hearing at some point.

Yes, they've been close for awhile. I think W. initially commissioned them to raise money together in the wake of the tsunami, and off they went from there. Clinton has visted 41 often at Kennebunkport reportedly.

There was a nice story in the book that W. was quoted as saying, following President Clinton's heart attack recovery a few years ago.

W.: "So, following President's Clinton's surgery, everyone was, of course, concernred. There were all of the president's closest family around his bedside.... Hillary, Chelsea, my dad." :)

My 23 minute drive from work to home took 1 hour 15 minutes. Yippee.

Thankfully, I missed all of it.

I did, however, make a drive to San Antonio this morning. An hour to get from Round Rock to Austin = perfect way to start my day.

(continuing to hi-jack :p)

I used to live in Bell County, so I know all about Austin area traffic. I thought I had left early enough to avoid it, though. I guessed wrong :(