Dubya's Tower of Babel

[Lasher]

With an expected $500 million from a handful of megadonors, George W. Bush's 'truest believers' plan the mother of all presidential libraries and conservative think tanks


After six years of incompetence and cronyism, a failed war against terrorism, the quagmire that is Iraq, wars against science, the environment, corporate regulation and the public's right-to-know, a chummy working relationship with the country's most reactionary conservative evangelical Christians, a politicized faith-based initiative, giveaways to the energy industry, tax relief for the wealthy, a culture of corruption culminating in the forced resignations and imprisonment of some of the administrations key soldiers, and an attack on fundamental democratic rights and values, the Bush Administration is hatching plans to celebrate itself with a $500 million library (the costliest presidential library ever) to be built sometime after the end of Bush's second term.

In what is being called "their final campaign," Bush's "truest believers" are aiming to raise a half-billion dollars for the mother of all presidential libraries. The library and an attached think tank -- which will pay for conservative research -- is being earmarked for the Dallas, Texas campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU), where First Lady Laura Bush is an alumna and trustee.

<snip>

Bringing back the Pioneers

In late-November, the New York Daily News reported that "Bush sources with direct knowledge of library plans" said that "Bush fund-raisers hope to get half of the half billion from what they call 'megadonations' of $10 million to $20 million a pop." According to the Daily News, "Bush loyalists have already identified wealthy heiresses, Arab nations and captains of industry as potential 'mega' donors and are pressing for a formal site announcement - now expected early in the new year...The rest of the cash will come from donors willing to pony up $25,000 to $5 million."

While the donors to Bush 43's library will remain anonymous, in February 2006, the Associated Press reported that among the donors to Bush 41's presidential library located at Texas A&M University in College Station, were a sheik from the United Arab Emirates, who contributed at least $1 million, the state of Kuwait, the Bandar bin Sultan family, the Sultanate of Oman, King Hassan II of Morocco, the amir of Qatar, and the former Korean prime minister. China also gave tens of thousands of dollars to the library. In addition, funds were received from the late Kenneth Lay, the former head of Enron, and Dick Cheney, the current Vice President.

The really big extra embedded into this project appears to be what Bush insiders are calling the Institute for Democracy. Modeled after the Hoover Institution, a long-time conservative think tank located on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Bush's institute would hire conservative scholars and "give them money to write papers and books favorable to the President's policies," one Bush insider told the Daily News. This would effectively be the post-administration version of a policy they established during his reign - paying columnists to advocate for administration policy.

http://www.mediatransparency.com/story.php?storyID=171

Yet another rightwing stink tank. This one will help Junior perpetuate his lies even from the grave.

[Mythsaje]

1. Dedicated to the very notion of democracy they oppose...

Sure, makes sense to me.

NOT.

[illinoisprogressive]

2. But, the universities where they have targeted have revolted.

[Lasher]

3. Yes, the objection of the SMU faculty has been in the news lately

This is discussed further on in the article that I linked in the OP. The SMU faculty wants there to be an informed discussion but has not come right out and asked that the library be prohibited. The alumni have not so far objected to the prospect of locating the library and think tank on campus. SMU attracts the children of rich republicans, many of whom are groomed for a life in politics during and after attendance there. The university is trying to shed the reputation of being an incubator of rightwing politicians and this controversy doesn't seem to be helping them in that respect.

Lately I have come to wonder if there should be some regulation on think tanks. Particularly, I think news organizations should use their input sparingly, if at all. At least there should be equal air time given to a representative from a liberal think tank every time someone from the conservative Heritage Foundation, as an example, offers their views.

You might have noticed that Junior is not going to reveal who the contributors to his new think tank are. That's another concern for me. The wealthiest 1 percent, like members of the Walton family of Wal-Mart fame, can pump millions into this endeavor and remain anonymous while the think tank, which will surely refer to themselves as the 'unbiased' Bush Library, opines endlessly in favor of tax cuts and other breaks for - guess who? - the wealthiest 1 percent.

Edit to correct dangling participle.