Bush Portrait Label Assailed; Changes Made

Back in December, the president's official portrait was unveiled. It was unique in the fact that the president, unlike his predecessors, opted out of wearing a suit for the portrait. Bernie Sanders threw a tizzy over the plaque set to accompany the portrait:

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington last month unveiled its newest acquisition -- Robert Anderson's official portrait of President Bush, seated by a vase of white lilies, which traditionally symbolize purity. And at least one U.S. senator is unhappy about the way the painting has been installed in the museum's galleries.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has written to the gallery's director, Martin E. Sullivan, to complain about the wall text that accompanies the picture, according to the political website Talking Points Memo.

The painting's label says the 43rd president's administration was marked by "the attacks on September 11, 2001, that led to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq." Sanders is demanding a correction:

"When President Bush and Vice President Cheney misled our country into the war in Iraq, they certainly cited the attacks on September 11, along with the equally specious claim that Iraq possessed vast arsenals of weapons of mass destruction. The notion, however, that 9/11 and Iraq were linked, or that one "led to" the other, has been widely and authoritatively debunked. ... Might I suggest that a reconsideration of the explanatory text next to the portrait of President Bush is in order."

A spokesman at the National Portrait Gallery told me that a response to Sanders is being prepared and that the museum is "planning to make a change" in the text accompanying the painting. When the museum sends it, I'll let you know what it says.

UPDATE: The National Portrait Gallery has agreed to change the label.

The change is subtle and simple. the words "led to" have been dropped.

I would like to point out to Mr. Sanders that his complaint is not founded in reality or history. The president's State of the Union address regarding Iraq laid out close to twenty reasons why we would be going into Iraq. It was not simply about weapons of mass destruction. It had much to do with his ties to terrorist organizations and his continued flouting of UN resolutions.

This Bush Derangement Syndrome really needs to end. the man has a little over a week left in his presidency, and bringing up the "Bush lied" malarkey is like liberals still fuming over the 2000 election. The liberals lost. He won. He has been vindicated in Iraq for putting together a strategy for victory. Leave aside the fact that he did not execute his strategy well, and that he had divisions in his administration over how to execute that strategy.

I personally think this is Bernie Sanders looking for headlines where none is to be found. The letter is petty in and of itself. Were I in charge of the label for the portrait I would have told Mr. Sanders to get stuffed. It would stay as it was originally written.

I am sick and tired of this garbage from the Left over this president. These people are completely beyond help. They cannot even muster up a "thank you, Mr. President for keeping us safe for the last seven years." No, they have to continue on with their talking points, and complain about things so irrelevant to the general public.

Mr. Sanders, your constituents did not elect you to be a whiner and complainer about insignificant things, like the label on a presidential portrait. They elected you to do a job in Congress. Methinks thou doth protest too much. I also think it is time you do the job you were sent to Congress to do, and leave the petty crap for the seething BDS minions in the general public. This complaint is beneath that of a sitting member of the Congress.

Marcie