To the Victor: George W. Bush’s Presidential Library

The common phrase is that the victors write the history books. The reality is that the writers write the history books. It doesn’t matter who has won or lost, it only matters who is in control of the conversation. There is no better example of this than George W. Bush’s newly-minted Presidential Library.

Politics aside, George W. Bush wasn’t the best president in history. His term included the start of two unending wars and the greatest economic collapse in the nation’s history since the greatest economic collapse of all time. Fortunately for him, the fanfare of Barrack Obama’s inauguration far and away overshadowed his embarrassments.

Since Bush left office, I’ve heard many supporters and former aides declare that history will determine W’s legacy. I never understood what they could possibly mean by such a statement. Objectively, Bush’s greatest presidential achievement was when he fearlessly strode onto the field at Yankee Stadium and delivered a perfect strike over the plate. Most everything else – from the mispronunciation of nearly every word in the English language to No Child Left Behind to the Iraq War[1] - range from unfortunate to disastrous.

But all of that is going to change, thanks to the just opened library dedicated to reinterpreting (if not rewriting) W’s legacy. Forget history.

The centerpiece to the library is an “interactive” exhibit, which poses the un-misunderestimatable dilemmas faced by the Bush administration to attendees then forces them to make a decision.

Then – and here’s the kicker – George W. Bush himself will appear on a screen and give you the “right” decision and he will tell you why he made the decisions he made.

It seems so surreal that the once most-powerful man on the planet is going to appear on a movie screen and plead his case. Didn’t he already win his election?

Maybe this is the logical continuation of politics. People spend millions to run for office, fueling their campaign with persuasive lies and promises. They gain office and inevitably fail. Then, after leaving the government, they pour even more millions of dollars into explaining why they made such poor decisions, trying to persuade you to like them again.

Imagine what Obama is going to have to do.

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[1] Sponsored by Halliburton!