The Donor Party 
Beyond giving work to Congressional and Homeland Security investigators, the Bush Library pay to play scandal has generated renewed attention to just who pays for these hulking mausoleum/fun-zones. Past and future Librarians rush to assure us that none of that foreign cash shall corrupt our American values, at least not while we have a job.
The Bush policy is clear-ish:
“Faced Monday with a report that a rogue lobbyist urged an exiled Central Asian leader to support the Bush library to curry favor in Washington, library officials promised that no foreign money will be accepted until President Bush leaves office. On Tuesday, it became clear the public will have to take them at their word…The foundation isn’t promising to identify all donors, or the dates and sums of their gifts.”
While the Clinton camp took a bold stance on the past, before retreating into mist:
“President Bill Clinton didn’t accept donations from foreign governments for his presidential library while he was in office, Skip Rutherford, who was president of the Clinton Foundation in 2000, told us. Rutherford couldn’t remember if the policy meant donations from foreign citizens also were prohibited.”
And we were reminded yet again why we have no Presidential Library disclosure law on the books:
It’s Tubular! 
And The Thoughts & Prayers Of The Nation 
All eyes turn to Dallas, where a regional United Methodist Church body may vote to kill the proposed George W. Bush Library at Southern Methodist University. The South Central Jurisdictional Conference meeting starts Wednesday.
This comes after a national Church body in May voted overwhelmingly to refer the question to the region. A felicitously timed scandal over Bush Library fundraising may get investigated, helping opponents, although they looked weak in May.
The history and adventures of Bush Fallen Among the Methodists are detailed here. The weaknesses of the Library opponents as of May are discussed here. On the Conference’ site authors unknown attempt to summarize the sides here, and lay out the likely schedule with the Petitions and Resolutions Committee meeting Wednesday afternoon, and general Conference action if any likely to occur Thursday.
Petitioners opposing the Bush Institute cluster here, opponents here highlight this article by SMU Professor Valerie Karras laying out her case for the South Central Conference taking up the issue. SMU’s agreement with Bush is here.
For the truly obsessed, sign up for the Conference proceedings RSS feed!
Dallas Deficit 
The Dallas Morning News has covered the would-be rise of the George W. Bush Library at SMU in lavish detail, but has so far found itself unable to pass on to local readers allegations about Houston fixer Steve Payne and his offer to clean up a Central Asian ex-tyrant’s image via Bush Library donations, in secret if “he wants to be anonymous for some reason”
The Washington Post and Chicago Tribune stirred themselves to follow up on London Sunday Times and. Even Fox News and Moonie owned UPI reported the allegations.
Innocent Abroad 
So?
His response wasn’t quite that Cheneyesque, but would-be George W. Bush Library benefactor Steve Payne concedes nothing. He claims remarks are taken out of context, says his request of confidentiality was violated, and tells some more whoppers.
“I have been a victim of a confidence game sponsored by the paper. The paper and its employees, not content with merely reporting news, have instead opted to manufacture the news in this worst-case example of “Gotcha Journalismâ€.”
Payne’s statement claims that hidden donations to the Bush Library were the furthest thing from his mind, and that he expected the worthy gentlemen with whom he was dealing to be above board in thought and deed.
“I was also very clear… in this conversation and in subsequent e-mails that any donations would need to be completely transparent and open to public scrutiny.”
The transparency extends to a Payne email dump which accompanied his statement., in which he suggests the Library cash could be hidden:
“The donation will be done publicly and must be in the form of a check or wire and will be done publicly in Akayev’s name unless he wants to be anonymous for some reason?”
Aiming High 
The Times of London has a Bush Pioneer on tape offering access to administration officials, possibly including Bush, for a fee of $600,000 to $750,000, a third of which would be directed to the Bush Library.
Lobbyist Stephen Payne says it can be done.
“The exact budget I will come up with, but it will be somewhere between $600,000 and $750,000, with about a third of it going directly to the Bush libraryâ€
The paper approached Payne pretending to represent former Kyrgyzstan strongman Askar Akayev, ousted in a 2005 popular revolt. Akayev is hanging about Moscow these days, and The Times claimed he longed to return to power. The laying on of hands in Washington was to be the anointment
Akayev, Shown Here In Happier Times 
How does Stephen Payne work his wonders for democracy?
The Times has Payne in a remarkable string of photos with such luminaries as Rice, Cheney, Putin, Musharraf and more, best in show being Payne and Bush clearing brush together in Crawford.
Freedom’s Undergrowths 
