Bush says SMU 'good fit' for his library

By TODD J. GILLMAN
The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – Calling Dallas "a fantastic Texas city," President Bush said Monday that he hopes to see his library built there.

"We've still got work to do, but I'm leaning pretty far forward," he said when asked about negotiations with Southern Methodist University.

Some faculty members and Methodist clergy object to the proposed archive, museum and policy institute, arguing it would provide a platform for conservative advocacy and amount to an endorsement of the Iraq war.

In a C-SPAN interview, Mr. Bush focused on his enthusiasm for his wife's alma mater and on the school's eagerness to land the nation's 13th presidential library.

"It seems like they are anxious for us to go. And we think it might be a good fit," he said. As for why the deal hasn't been finalized, he said, "We're trying to make sure we put a structure in place that will last beyond the years."

A team of Bush confidants picked SMU as the sole finalist in December. The president attended Yale and earned a Harvard MBA. He spent much of his career in Dallas and said "it makes a lot of sense if this is the final choice."

He mentioned people close to him who hold SMU degrees:

• First lady Laura Bush, who got her bachelor's in education and serves on the board of trustees.
• Longtime adviser Karen Hughes.
• Harriet Miers, the former White House counsel and failed Supreme Court nominee.
• Tony Garza, ambassador to Mexico.
• Rob Mosbacher, the Houston energy executive who runs the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

"There's a lot of people who've got personal connections to SMU – no more personal for me than my wife, by the way," Mr. Bush said.

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