New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his wife are in Texas for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

 

President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton attend the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center
President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton attend the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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The Republican has ties to the Bush family.

Christie volunteered in 1992 for President George H.W. Bush's re-election bid and he served as the New Jersey lawyer for George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign. When Bush won, he nominated Christie to serve as the state's U.S. attorney.

Christie's wife, Mary Pat, accompanied him to Dallas.

 

President Barack Obama and all the living American presidents will be on hand for the dedication of Bush's presidential library, museum and policy institute.

For Bush, 66, the ceremony also marks his unofficial return to the public eye four years after the end of his deeply polarizing presidency.

The dedication ceremony of George W. Bush's presidential center has ended after the nation's 43rd president gave a closing speech with tears welling in his eyes.

A crowd of 10,000 watched as a military guard carried a line of flags off the stage, followed by the departure of all five presidents and their wives Thursday in Dallas.

 

(L-R) First lady Michelle Obama, former first lady Laura Bush, former first lady Hillary Clinton, former first lady Barbara Bush and former first lady Rosalynn Carter attend the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center
(L-R) First lady Michelle Obama, former first lady Laura Bush, former first lady Hillary Clinton, former first lady Barbara Bush and former first lady Rosalynn Carter attend the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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The ceremony was also attended by former members of the Bush administration, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, current and former world leaders including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the children of former presidents.

Bush gave the last speech, noting his joy that his father, the 41st president, was able to attend the dedication.

He said, "41, it is awesome that you are here today."

On the sprawling, 23-acre university campus north of downtown Dallas housing his presidential library, museum and policy institute, Bush will be feted by his father, George H.W. Bush, and the two surviving Democrats, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. President Barack Obama, fresh off a fundraiser for Democrats the night before, will also speak.

In a reminder of his duties as the current Oval Office inhabitant, Obama will travel to Waco in the afternoon for a memorial for victims of last week's deadly fertilizer plant explosion.

Key moments and themes from Bush's presidency — the harrowing, the controversial and the inspiring — won't be far removed from the minds of the presidents and guests assembled to dedicate the center, where interactive exhibits invite scrutiny of Bush's major choices as president, such as the financial bailout, the Iraq War and the international focus on HIV and AIDS.

 

The bullhorn President George W. Bush used at Ground Zero after the September 11 terrorist attacks is on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Center
The bullhorn President George W. Bush used at Ground Zero after the September 11 terrorist attacks is on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Center (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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On display is the bullhorn that Bush, near the start of his presidency, used to punctuate the chaos at ground zero three days after 9/11. Addressing a crowd of rescue workers amid the ruins of the World Trade Center, Bush said: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."

"Memories are fading rapidly, and the profound impact of that attack is becoming dim with time," Bush told The Associated Press earlier this month. "We want to make sure people remember not only the lives lost and the courage shown, but the lesson that the human condition overseas matters to the national security of our country."

More than 70 million pages of paper records. Two hundred million emails. Four million digital photos. About 43,000 artifacts. Bush's library will feature the largest digital holdings of any of the 13 presidential libraries under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration, officials said. Situated in a 15-acre urban park at Southern Methodist University, the center includes 226,000 square feet of indoor space.

A full-scale replica of the Oval Office as it looked during Bush's tenure sits on the campus, as does a piece of steel from the World Trade Center. In the museum, visitors can gaze at a container of chads — the remnants of the famous Florida punch card ballots that played a pivotal role in the contested 2000 election that sent Bush to Washington.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)

 

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