Texas Rep. Wants a George W. Bush National Park

Presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush commemorate the opening of the George W. Bush Childhood Home museum.National Park Service

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


President George W. Bush gutted environmental standards, ignored the threat of climate change, and presided over a scandal-plagued Department of the Interior*—making him a natural choice to be the central focus of America’s next national park.

According to the Abilene (Texas) Reporter News, that’s exactly GOP Rep. Mike Conaway wants. Conaway, a former business partner of Bush who represents the former president’s hometown of Midland, secured a $25,000 federal grant for a “reconnaissance survey” of Bush’s childhood home earlier this year:

The reconnaissance survey “will merely examine whether the site is worthy of inclusion,” Conaway said Monday in a statement.

Conaway of Midland requested the study “on behalf of proud Texans who wish to see the home of two American presidents elevated to national status and become part of the National Park System” in an Aug. 27 letter to now outgoing Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. President Bill Clinton’s childhood home in Hope, Ark. was officially dedicated as a national park in 2011. Even James Buchanan, who is held in even worse esteem among historians than Bush, has a place of honor in Lancaster, Penn. And Bush’s home in Midland has already been converted into a private museum. The museum is currently looking for someone to donate a vintage washing machine, and even has an online store which sells marbles, for some reason:

George W. Bush Childhood Home

In that light, the George W. Bush National Park is probably inevitable. But look on the bright side: This would be the perfect place to display those paintings.

*In fairness, this describes the Department of the Interior for most of its existence.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate