President George W. Bush may be retiring to Dallas, but now there’s people concerned about the presidential museum he’s bringing with him.
Friday saw the official launch of What Would John Wesley Do?, in which leading United Methodist theologians add their voice to ongoing opposition to the placing of the proposed Bush Presidential Library Complex at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
There was already deep concern over the Neocon/Free Marketeer think tank that will share the complex (unprecedented for a presidential library), but this is a theological challenge. 28 current and retired bishops have already signed a petition opposing the building contending that “linking [Bush’s] presidency with a university bearing the Methodist name is utterly inappropriate.” The WWJWD group argues that not only would it threaten the academic independence and reputation of SMU, but there’s the little detail that pacifism is a cornerstone of Methodism.
Bush shouldn’t feel to worried about there being no tribute to his political dogma, since Sen. John McCain is picking up that baton: including getting fast-and-loose about some details of his military career and his love of sports. On Wednesday, McCain told the Pittsburgh CBS affiliate that, while a POW in Vietnam, he “named the starting lineup, defensive line, of the Pittsburgh Steelers as my squadron-mates.” Funny, because every other time he’s told that story, it’s been the Green Bay Packers.
This article appears in July 11 • 2008.
