There’s Something About A Train 

 For the Presidential Transport Complete-ist, exciting news from the plains of Texas.

MTH Electric Trains has launched a series of HO model trains commemorating an obscure tribute to former President H.W. Bush.

In 2005 the Union Pacific Railroad appears to have had time and rolling stock on its hands, so the company painted up one of their engines to vaguely resemble Air Force One’s color scheme, and slapped Bush’s name on it.  It served as the highpoint of a railroad exhibit mounted by Bush’s Presidential Library, with as little apparent connection to his presidency as the Clinton Library’s ill-fated “Art of the Chopper” fiasco.

MTH’s model engine comes complete with a “Detachable Scale Snow Plow” and  “(2) Cab Figures“  , all for just $ 189.95.  Coming soon is a more glamor-ific model for a mere $ 429.95.

Why the Union Pacific’s interest in Bush family sucking up?  UP CEO Richard K. Davidson served on a Homeland Security infrastructure advisory board, presumably working to assure that security didn’t get in the way of tons of toxins riding the rails.  He served the Bushes in other ways as well, bundling for Junior and receiving a Kennedy Center board post.

Iron Horse Came

If You Build It They Will Come 

Zoning officials have signed off on George W. Bush’s Presidential Library plunking parking lots right up against its northern neighbors, on a side of the Bush complex not shown in the lovely drawings the Library released. 

The neighbors had complained, and University Park officials made noises about forcing changes in the plans. But at a meeting with no public participation they appear to have caved entirely to SMU’s threat of slapping dorms on the property.

  The lots would be to Mrs. Bush’s right in this photo, the other side of the trees.

Apparently gone are the days when the Bush’s touted their  “truly urban location,” and the Library was to anchor a “string of urban pearls” connected by mass transit.

University Parked

Remember, Remember The Eleventh Of September

The George W. Bush Presidential Library has no building yet, but in our up to the minute virtual world they’ve begun filling the Internets with thoughtful reminders of the glorious Bush Era.

The Library website has an exciting 9-11 look-back slide-show,    featuring our hero on the phone,

videoconferencing, 

and   staring urgently.

All of our old friends are there:

Tony Blair,

    Hamid Karzai,

even good old Pervez Musharraf.

And never forget: we invaded for the children!

I’d forgotten former New York Governor    George Pataki was with Bush on the rubble mound

in NYPD drag, anticipating the butch look  Bush would sport the next seven years.

Now Paperless To Serve You Better! 

Faced with demands not to destroy White House emails and account for several million which had gone missing, the Bush Administration ran out the clock. The Bush White House variously claimed there wasn’t a problem, to be working on the problem, and unsure that there was a problem.

Then they all turned into pumpkins and scurried out of town along with the Archivist of the United States, leaving the National Archives and Obama Administration to clean up the mess.

We now learn that some 22 million missing emails have been found, with prospects of more in the woods. But whatever is now found goes into the catacombs of Archives’ Presidential Library system, with all the slow delights that promises. And leaving Bush free to roam about presenting sunny memories  unsullied by actual facts.

The Washington Post turns for missing papers perspective to “Scott Stanzel, a former Bush White House spokesman”

Scotty is just so weary of the whole thing, and blames litigators the Committee for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington:

“CREW ‘has consistently tried to create a spooky conspiracy out of standard [information technology] issues. Their misleading statements about our work demonstrates their continued anti-Bush agenda, nearly a year after a new president was sworn in.“

Bias perhaps demonstrated by being not impressed with Scotty’s own role in the saga, offering vague assurances and misdirection until it became someone else’s problem.

Now With Added Stature!

In an intriguing political parallel universe, pollsters matched up the sitting president with his term-limited predecessor. And the out guy is a comer.

From his popularity depths in the 20s, George W. Bush has clawed his way back to a position where 44% of poll-ees want him in office over Barack Obama.

Laying low, raising library money and a thoughtful assist from the beloved Bill Clinton appear to have done the trick.

Old Acquaintance Been Forgot