Neighbor Wisely Keeping Mouth Shut

Former President George W. Bush took up residence about 30 miles from my home when he departed the White House. In Texas, this is close enough to consider him a neighbor. He became much wiser toward the end of his second term in office. He is showing considerable wisdom in avoiding commenting on the recent flaps between conservative Republicans and more moderate ones.

G. W. left office with one of the lowest popularity ratings of any president since polling began. Interestingly he has raised enormous amounts of funding to support his presidential library. He is hopeful of getting favorable rendering of his performance as president from historians. He is well aware that entering the fray about the future of the Republican Party could stigmatize his image and damage his brand beyond the damage the performance of his administration caused. As we say in Texas, he is keeping his opinions under his hat.