New Bush Exhibit Splits SMU

George W. Bush is breaking his (mostly) under-the-radar post-presidency. The exhibit, Breaking New Ground: Presenting the George W. Bush Presidential Center, is opening this weekend on the campus of Southern Methodist University, and it’s already causing controversy, since it prominently features both the handgun taken from Saddam Hussein, and the loudspeaker he used to address rescue workers at ground zero following the 9/11 attacks. “That these should be the symbols of the values and commitments of the Bush administration and should now become the face of Southern Methodist University is cause for alarm,” said Tex Sample, an elder in the Methodist Church. For two years, Sample led opposition from Methodist leaders to against leasing the land, but to no avail. The exhibit will be open through February at the Meadows Museum, and also coincides with both the release of Bush’s memoir, Decision Points, and the Nov. 16 groundbreaking of the Bush library and institute.