This is so not how you break news. Our Man On Top Of It, Rich Lopez, phones from SMU, where moments ago President R. Gerald Turner announced, but not really, that the Hilltop was going to be the home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library. "I am not announcing it's coming here, but this is as good as an announcement as we can give you," he told the throng gathered in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center ballroom. Rich reports said throng exploded in thunderous applause. Of course it did.
Turner said only that Don Evans, chairman of the George W. Bush Presidential Library Search Committee, had informed him SMU was the sole contender left for the library and think tank.
"In the begining it started out with a large number of institutions," Turner said, "and now it's down to one." Rich also reports that reporters kept telling Turner he was just dancing around making a formal announcement. Turner wouldn't, he said, because he couldn't. "All I can say is they have agreed to further discussions with SMU," Turner said. He did say it was unclear at the moment whether Bush's people would be going with an SMU proposal or one of their own design.
Rich also spoke with Carl Sewell, chairman of the Board of Trustees, who said the selection committee would "start outlining expectations" from the university in January or February. Developing, in other words. Get it? Developing? Fine. Back to the think tank. --Rich Lopez as told to some other guy
