$500M Bush Library Deal Expected Today

SMU will host presidential library, think-tank

(NEWSER) - 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. More»

First lady felt weight of the world lifted upon return to Texas

(NEWSER) - Laura Bush felt a weight lift when she returned to Texas after 8 years in Washington, free of the rigors of protecting America in the post-9/11 era, the former first lady tells Politico . “I didn’t really realize how stressed we were and how vigilant we were—that hypervigilance—until we came home and I wasn’t so stressed anymore," Bush says. "I almost stood straighter, just without that weight of worry.” More»

(NEWSER) - Former President Bush is gradually reentering life as a private citizen in Texas, Newsweek reports, but he's doing it gingerly and on his own terms. While many Texans agree that Dubya's still the friendly, aw-shucks guy they sent to Washington eight years ago, he's definitely keeping clear of dissent. “He is in home territory for sure,” a Texas historian said. “He doesn't enjoy naysayers and critics and opposition. Never has. And right now, he needs that nurturing cocoon that he is in.” More»

Dubya raises funds faster than predecessors

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush has amassed over $100 million in donations for the construction of a presidential library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Time reports, with most coming since he left office. Bush has tapped into his campaign donor network to hit the estimated $300 million cost for the project, which will hold all official documents from his presidency, and feature a museum and research facility. More»

He moves firmly among the 33% who supported him

(NEWSER) - President Bush began his new life in an "insulated bubble" the day he left Washington toting a plane of teary-eyed friends watching a rosy video tribute on the Bush era. Low approval ratings? Bah. "He lives squarely in the remaining 33%" who supported him, writes Washington Post's Eli Saslow in a lengthy look at Bush's post-presidential world. More»