Spring Break
A Colossal wreck at SMU
George Henson, ghenson@smu.edu
Issue date: 1/24/07 Section: Opinion
I have resisted commenting on the Bush Library - in part because my opposition would come as a surprise to no one, in part because others have argued against it much more articulately than I could and also in part because as a non-tenured lecturer, my opinion matters about as much as that of the feral cats that live around the over-crowded Clements Hall, which houses not only Dedman advising, foreign languages and math, but also education, honors, ESL, women's studies, African-American studies, ethnic studies and Mexican-American studies - have I left anyone out? (Do you think W. will share part of his space?)
Not to mention that lecturers serve at the pleasure of the university president - not unlike the recently ousted generals who opposed the Iraq surge served at the pleasure of President Bush.
So, do I think the Bush Library will be good for SMU? In theory, yes. In principle, no. In theory, presidential libraries are good for universities. The only problem is we haven't had a president for the last six years. We've had a dictator who would be king.
Kings build monuments of narcissism to warehouse their egos - like the (fallen) Colossus of Ramesses II, which Shelley so eloquently mocks in his sonnet.
The discussion taking place on campus is little more than window dressing disguised as debate, not unlike the Baker-Hamilton Commission, which the president treated with the same interest he might treat an ugly blind date foisted on him by his father.
That is not to say that there aren't those - on both sides of this issue - who aren't sincere. But to call what is taking place a debate is akin to calling the Bush presidency a democracy. There is neither debate nor democracy when the outcome is pre-determined.
While the faculty attempts to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, the iceberg has already torn open the hull of the ship.
If 70 percent of the American public, the Baker Hamilton Commission, and a majority of retired and active-duty generals were not enough to dissuade a contumacious frat-boy-turned-president from escalating an already losing war in Iraq, the chances that a group of liberal academics could influence his decisionb are as remote as Bush's misguided expectation that history will vindicate his legacy.
Not to mention that lecturers serve at the pleasure of the university president - not unlike the recently ousted generals who opposed the Iraq surge served at the pleasure of President Bush.
So, do I think the Bush Library will be good for SMU? In theory, yes. In principle, no. In theory, presidential libraries are good for universities. The only problem is we haven't had a president for the last six years. We've had a dictator who would be king.
Kings build monuments of narcissism to warehouse their egos - like the (fallen) Colossus of Ramesses II, which Shelley so eloquently mocks in his sonnet.
The discussion taking place on campus is little more than window dressing disguised as debate, not unlike the Baker-Hamilton Commission, which the president treated with the same interest he might treat an ugly blind date foisted on him by his father.
That is not to say that there aren't those - on both sides of this issue - who aren't sincere. But to call what is taking place a debate is akin to calling the Bush presidency a democracy. There is neither debate nor democracy when the outcome is pre-determined.
While the faculty attempts to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, the iceberg has already torn open the hull of the ship.
If 70 percent of the American public, the Baker Hamilton Commission, and a majority of retired and active-duty generals were not enough to dissuade a contumacious frat-boy-turned-president from escalating an already losing war in Iraq, the chances that a group of liberal academics could influence his decisionb are as remote as Bush's misguided expectation that history will vindicate his legacy.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Tom Hunt
posted 1/24/07 @ 6:39 AM EST
With all the evil that he speaks of Mr.Bush, I don't believe that Mr. Henson has had his right to express his opinion squashed by Mr.Bush. In fact Mr. (Continued…)
B
posted 1/24/07 @ 8:07 AM EST
I don't always agree with you, but fantastic article!
Kurt Fischer
posted 1/25/07 @ 11:06 PM EST
While on campus on Wednesday night to attend a Continuing Education class, I picked up a copy of The Daily Campus. In it I read both this article ("A Colossal Wreck at SMU") and a Letter to the Editor from Lindsay Chambers. (Continued…)
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