And so the countdown begins. 30 days to go until the Bush Presidency is history. Let’s consider the much ballyhoed legacy which President George W. Bush has pinned all his hopes on.

1. Destroyed Phoenix McCain and Al ‘Internet’ Gore’s political futures.
2. Allowed Enron & 9/11 to happen.
3. ‘Terminated’ family feud with Saddam Hussein. A bit of collateral damage, but…
4. Added John Kerry to the list of destroyed sissies.
5. Drowned New Orleans with help from Hurricane Katrina.
6. Allowed Afghanistan to become a pot-head’s dream come true.
7. Destroyed Wall Street.
8. Re-destroyed Phoenix McCain and tore down the GOP’s big tent.

One month to go. Who’s next? So anyway, what happens to a Prez with a record like this? He gets his portrait drawn, that’s what. And then he hangs out in da museums with the other George’s (his poppy and George Washington) and Abraham Lincoln and the rest of the gang. The National Portrait Gallery commissioned portraits of President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush, which have now been unveiled in a private ceremony by the Prez and the First Lady. The portraits are now on public view.

Video from necn.com

According to Face to Face, the National Portrait Gallery’s blog, Robert Anderson was selected by the White House to paint the president’s portrait. Anderson was a classmate of Bush’s at Yale University and received his training in fine arts at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A professional portraitist based in Darien, Conn., Anderson has also painted a portrait of Bush for the Yale Club in New York. Bush’s portrait will be installed in the exhibition “America’s Presidents,” among those of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and George H.W. Bush. 

Subject aside, have to admit its a pretty decent painting. Heckuva job, Anderson! Give the man a Congressional Medal of Honor.

Moving on to something more useful but no less scary than a Bushism, we now have a wearable sleeping bag from Illinois based Lippi Outdoor, which looks like its just busted out of a Halloween costume shop. Its called a Lippi Selk’Bag.

The LA Times says that “the only downside is that anyone who wears it looks like the Pillsbury Doughboy.” Me, I think it looks like an eskimo with attitude, and would fit in just fine when you’re on Wasilla AK vacations.

Come to think of it, I have seen someone who looks just like that hanging out with wannabe VP Sarah Palin. That would be the First Dude - Todd Palin - part eskimo, part attitude. And I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded adding this wonderful wearable sleeping bag to the RNC’s $180,000 tab for the Palin family’s shopping spree.

Posted on December 21st, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: Art & Museums, News