Bush Moves Into New Dallas Home

DALLAS — A month after leaving the White House, former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, moved into their new Dallas home Friday.

Bush's motorcade drove past a security barricade in the late afternoon, bringing the former first couple to their new residence: a 1959 ranch-style brick home that sits at the top of a quiet cul-de-sac in a wealthy Dallas neighborhood. Bush waved to a jogger as he rode by, and the jogger waved back.

"President and Mrs. Bush are glad to be back in Dallas, appreciate the warm welcome by their neighbors, and look forward to once again being part of the Dallas community," said Rob Saliterman, a spokesman for Bush's office in Dallas.

The couple's new home has about 8,500 square feet, four bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms and a wet bar. Local property records indicate the home on Daria Place is worth about $2.1 million.

The house has a wide front yard and dark shutters, with a gate at the top of the driveway that affords some privacy. The Dallas City Council last month approved installation of a security gate that will eventually block access to the street. There are about half a dozen homes on the cul-de-sac.

Dallas police and Secret Service agents have set up a barricade in recent days limiting access to the neighborhood. They have even turned away delivery vans; packages must be dropped off with security personnel, who hand-deliver them.

The home is in the Preston Hollow area of Dallas, home to some of Texas' wealthiest residents and most expensive homes. Some front lawns have sported "W" signs. Others have signs saying "Welcome home George & Laura."

An elementary school just around the block from the Bushes had a banner displayed outside Friday saying "Kindergarten welcomes President Bush and family."

Bush, the former managing partner of the Texas Rangers in suburban Arlington, will count among his neighbors Tom Hicks, the baseball team's current owner. Hicks owns a 29,000-square-foot mansion and large property adjacent to the cul-de-sac, according to property records.

Other neighborhood homeowners include Mark Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, billionaire businessman T. Boone Pickens, Republican donor Harold Simmons and recently retired Exxon Mobil CEO Lee R. Raymond.

Laura Bush has been staying in Dallas for at least the last few days and has been spotted at area restaurants. The former president has been staying at his ranch in Crawford, about 95 miles south of Dallas. His motorcade drove up from the area Friday, stopping at Bush's Dallas office before continuing to the new home.

It's a homecoming of sorts for the Bushes, who lived in Dallas from December 1988 through January 1995, before moving to the Texas governor's mansion in Austin. Laura Bush is a graduate of nearby Southern Methodist University, which will house her husband's presidential library and think tank.

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AP Photographer Tony Gutierrez contributed to this report.

Comments

[maincoon]

Bush was not a lier, clinton and now obama are the biggest liers!!! Bush just did what he had to do to keep us safe!

[filo]

Dubaya deserves to go to the Big House.

[SantaFeStars]

The "smirk" from hell!

[elr50]

My husband has often wanted to drive cross country (I live in the east-one of those "eastern liberals" and proud of it. I would only take that trip if I could go around Texas and Florida. Those states don't deserve my money, and my comments would probably get me shot.

[Sparty1]

I've been waiting for him to get here. Now is the time for me to make my Saturday morning Starbucks journey to Preston Hollow and SMU to protest.

[maincoon]

you are stupid!

[Blivet]

A George Bush Think Tank???
Now that's funny.

[maincoon]

He's alot better than you could do!

[G-guy]

Lozange, excuse me.
What planet you been hiding on the last 8 years?
Sure ain't this one.

[G-guy]

I hope W. likes his next big home.
It will also have a big metal gate on the property. Guarded walls, too.
But the next home won't have heavy security to keep people out.
It will be to keep your sorry butt in.

[BillMelater]

I hope he had to sell Crawford way short.

[maincoon]

Sorry to disapoint your sorry a_s! He still has his ranch! Ha Ha Ha!!!

[jeffobix]

"Bush waved to a jogger as he rode by, and the jogger waved back."

Whole hand or just middle finger?

[Clois]

LOL, I love it!

[Sparty1]

Oh no. I'm sure it was a whole hand and a big ole smile to go along with it. They love him in Preston Hollow. Most folks there are still driving around with W '04 stickers on their Lexus, BMW or Mercedes suvs.

[maincoon]

That shows your brains! If that is the type of thing that comes to your mind, your one sorry excuse for a human!

[flatus]

The cowboy charade sputters to a graceless end.

[LeBelAge]

If there is any justice in the world Bush would lose his new home in foreclosure.

[Effymens]

Dont count on it , his father will bail him out.

[maincoon]

How about you lose your home in forclosure, stupid! The economy was not bush's fault, it started with clinton because he forced the banks to change their lending laws and lend to people they knew couldn't afford it!

[Lozange]

Much rest to the Bushes, for what has had to be the least easy presidency dealing with 9/11, the fallout and being blamed instead of Greenspan for the economic debacle. Laura Bush is the unsung best First wife ever IMO, and W, well, he got picked because someone knew they'd end up dumping on him and he could take it. Obama today isn't straying much from the "Bush Doctrine" though no one wants to cut Bush any slack, rabid as everyone has gotten, but in the end, Bush will prove to have been as efficient as many other Presidents before him but will have endured far more unnecessary hatred as part of the gig.

[Bushwillresign]

Where do you read all this stuff? I already read all my comic books at least twice. I need some new comical readin. I'm serious..

[Oonagh]

His popularity is just the hard core Republicans... says a lot about him and his time in office... Mr. Disaster..Mr. Mission Accomplished... mr. bush

[StillIRise]

Well, I don't quite see it that way!

Bush exploited the tragedy of 911 to engage in an immoral and illegal war in Iraq, ignoring the official war in Afghanistan, ultimately enabling the resurgence of the Taliban and the presence of Al Qaeda. We won't even talk about how he ignored the Middle East. That's a story in itself!

Bush again exploited the tragedy in New Orleans - Katrina - to use it as an opportunity to displace the poor mostly black residents and to rebuild it for the wealthy.

For eight years he and his administration manipulated and lied to the American people about his "trickle down" and "ownership society" economy, and we are now living the consequences of that lie.

As a result of Bush's incompetence and sheer greed, President Obama is now left with limited choices to try to repair the unprecedented damage that Bush and his cronies created. In whatever respect he's not strayed away from the Bush Doctrine, it's because he has no other choice, yet I have no doubt that it will be temporary.

Bush will not be remembered as even an "efficient" President, much less a good or great one. His legacy will be that of the worse President in modern history.

[WhatMidEasternPrez]

Well you do realize that Saddam had been giving money to Al Qaeda for years. The attacks meant that the terrorists in the middle east were going to start attacking the United States more. The CIA gave the president the information about Iraq having possession of Weapons of mass destruction. It is not the presidents fault that the CIA gave bad advice.

Bush didn't start the war in Iraq. Do you know anything? The president cannot declare war. Congress declares war and the president is the commander and chief. All he does is run the war that Congress wants. That means that a majority or your Congress men/women voted to go to war with Iraq. Not all the crap that he gets credit for is on him. He wouldn't be able to do it all. He has advisers. He has Generals who know war strategy. He has Karl Rove who is not Satan or the person controlling Bush. You may not like Karl Rove but he is one of the smartest political advisers alive.

[WhatMidEasternPrez]

I would love an explanation for everything that the government decides to do but the thing is, in all honesty, they can't tell us. Not because they don't want us to know but because they can't let our enemies know. It doesn't matter if you believe that the entire world can somehow get together and join forces to accomplish a single goal. It will not and cannot happen because of cultural and religious differences. Cultural differences like, Americans wearing very revealing clothes. In other countries, that is not allowed. Its not like they will say " you need to change", they will, in some countries, kill you.

The religions will never be able to get along. The bumpersticker that says coexist and has all the religions on it. That is impossible because of the doctrines of the religions. Every religion says that their doctrine is the absolute truth and it is completely right. That makes sense, who would want to follow a religion that says it is wrong? If religions are perfect, then they will not be altered by those who believe them. Muslims are called to kill all infidels. They are told that they will go straight to heaven if they are a martyr in jihad. According to them, the infidels are those from Israel and The United States. That is why they chant "Allah is god, death to Israel, Death to America" That is one of the religion issues. It does show how religions won't work though.

[WhatMidEasternPrez]

Katrina was terrible but the lack of response was not because Bush didn't try. The Federal Emergency Medical Agency (FEMA) was very slow at responding to the emergency.. They knew that the hurricane was coming and they were prepared for it. They had told people that there was a hurricane coming and had told them that they needed to evacuate the city but the people were not willing to leave their homes. At the last minute the hurricane, which they thought would slow down but didn't, changed direction and instead of hitting the coast, it went up the river and pushed the water over the walls against the river. The water went over the walls and fell to the ground where it dug away at the ground until there wasn't enough support for the wall. Then it came down and walls around it started falling and all the water started rushing in. They were worried about the people and sent in rescue crews but they were really worried about the oil refinery that was not to far away. They weren't worried about it because it was expensive, they were worried about oil spilling into the water and polluting the ocean. If it got in the water it would cause the water to not only be toxic but be flamable. Even if it didn't catch on fire, when all the water was gone, all the area where that oil was would probably not be able to grow plants.

[WhatMidEasternPrez]

The reason that nothing was done about the hurricane when the water first started flooding in is the agency that was there didn't report the flooding until the next day. Bush didn't know that the walls had failed. He just knew that there was a hurricane.

The government shipped in mobile home for people to live in while the rebuilding i going on because the people don't have houses. It is easier to rebuild if there aren't people standing where you are trying to work. They rebuilt the upper class party area faster because that is the main reason that people visit New Orleans. If that was not there to attract people. Then people wouldn't want to go there because they would think about rebuilding New Orleans as spending money on rebuilding a city that should be underwater. No one would want to actually rebuild it. Now that they have tourist going there and people are still interested in New Orleans, they can rebuild the housing. It May not seem like a good idea but if they didn't do it, New Orleans would probably not be rebuilt. They spent almost 90 billion dollars on the city. I'm sorry to say it but it isn't the Hamptons.

[WhatMidEasternPrez]

There aren't a lot of really rich people in New Orleans. I'm sorry to put it like this but there are a lot of poor people in New Orleans. They had to have a reason to spend 90 billion dollars. So they did need a big tourist spot. so that people would actually go there. There are a lot of non government workers that are building there. It isn't just the Government. It the people didn't own the land that their house was on which is likely, then the bank owns the land. If the bank owns the land, the house is ruined and the owners aren't paying the bills (weather they can get to them or not) then the bank has every right to build whatever they want. If the government said no to an idea like a rich tourist town, then we would be on this blog talking about how the government is taking over businesses like banks with no reason.

So the government is providing money and housing for the people who lost their jobs, homes and everything. The banks are most likely the ones who are building the rich tourist town. I am not saying that is it right of them to leave all the people without homes like that but there is nothing illegal about it. It is at the most immoral and inconsiderate.

[motodude]

I'm so interested, tell me more...

NOT!

[AbsolutDemocrat]

Just when I thought Dallas couldn't get worse, it's new and most famous resident is basically a war criminal roaming free.

[maincoon]

To bad I am not able to meet you in a dark ally! You are the one is a criminal! You have so much hate that you can't even see enough to make a sound judgment! Bush has enough guts to stick up for us in this country instead of trying to make a deal with terrorists! Before you say somebody is a criminal, make sure you have enough b--ls to back it up!