As Bush Exits Office, Portraits Come Down

As Bush exits office, portraits come down

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAP715C1MS.DTL

Patricia Yollin, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, January 18, 2009

In San Francisco, where many people, it seems, can't stand the sight of President Bush, they won't have to look at him much longer.

His portrait in the Federal Building will be taken down at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Inauguration Day. The same morning, his wax figure will be removed from the lobby turntable at the Wax Museum on Fisherman's Wharf. In liberal Noe Valley, a store that profited from the president for years is almost Bush-less already.

There is at least one spot in town, however, where the image of the former president will survive intact: the Union Street real estate office of Arthur Bruzzone, former chair of the local Republican Party.

A photograph on the wall shows Bruzzone and Bush together in 2000, before the presidential election.

After Bush moved into the White House, he never visited San Francisco again.

"I'm going to keep it up there," Bruzzone said. "I like the George Bush I met. He didn't turn out to be the same George Bush, but it's part of my ego wall."

Bush won't enjoy similar treatment in much of the city, although he did get a last-minute reprieve from the General Services Administration.

The GSA had planned to remove his portrait from all federal offices on Friday. Late Thursday afternoon, a decision was made to let Bush's image stay until Tuesday, when Barack Obama is sworn into office at noon in Washington (9 a.m. West Coast time.)

"It was just to be sure there's no disrespect," and Jean Gibson, GSA spokeswoman in San Francisco.

Images of Obama will arrive in March. Until then, the wall of the Federal Building on Golden Gate Avenue will be blank. And what will happen to the portrait of Bush?

"It just goes into the shredder or recycler," Gibson said. "There's nothing hallowed about it. It's not like the American flag."

At Just For Fun, a gift and novelty shop on 24th Street in Noe Valley, Bush dog toys, Smush Bush stress relievers, Bush countdown calendars and "impeach mints" are long gone.

On Thursday night, the anti-Bush merchandise that had done so well for years was down to three copies of "The Bush Survival Guide," a sole copy of "The George W. Bush Quiz Book" and one remaining "Bush-its," or sticky notes for "when you want to say something really stupid."

"He doesn't sell anymore," said store employee David Benson.

Instead, the front window was full of Barack Obama calendars and tall candles depicting him as St. Martin de Porres, with a halo around his head. Those items were going fast, Benson said.

On Friday afternoon at Fisherman's Wharf, the wax Bush shared the turntable at the open-air entrance with Nicole Kidman and Clint Eastwood - who moves Monday to make way for Martin Luther King Jr. on the civil rights leader's birthday.

The wax Bush wore a navy blue pinstripe suit, white shirt and red tie. He stood on a podium; behind him were dozens of campaign posters for 2008 presidential candidates, including Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards.

Museum curator Curtis Huber had placed Bush on the turntable a week before Super Tuesday in February, along with a sign: "Who's Next? Your Vote Counts."

His attempt to get out the vote sometimes had a different effect.

"I always had a thing of wipes behind the counter because people would spit on Bush," Huber said. "Once someone threw black paint on him."

Although a wax figure of Barack Obama was unveiled Thursday at Madame Tussauds in London and at several branches, its counterpart won't arrive in San Francisco for 45 to 60 days. It's being made by a sculptor in England who had created a model of George Clooney for the museum, and will cost from $15,000 to $40,000, depending on clothes and accessories.

Clooney, Salma Hayek or Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie might replace Bush until Obama is ready. Huber hasn't decided.

All he knows for sure is that on Tuesday he'll take Bush down to the Presidential Library exhibit, where 13 of the museum's 18 wax presidents reside. George W. will stand behind his father, who will be seated, and between Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan.

On Friday, as the wax Bush whirled around every minute and 15 seconds, passers-by had other fates in mind.

"Crush it," said 47-year-old Indiana Mercado of Stockton.

The Chamber of Horrors, suggested someone else.

"I think they should ship him off to Texas," said Miguel Delgado, 27, of Grand Junction, Colo.

Modesto resident Toni Lopez, 44, said, "I don't think they should get rid of him. You've got to keep the old somewhere."

Sean Smith, 24, of San Jose, agreed. Even Adolf Hitler could be found in the museum, he said.

"Melt him down and make candles for places in Iraq without power," said Chris Adams, 26, visiting from Connecticut.

But his friend, Dmitri Borovoy of Massachusetts, said melting wouldn't satisfy him because then Bush would disappear.

"People should remember and know the real truth," said Borovoy, 27. "It would be nice if he were put in a museum with a long caption about how much of a hindrance his administration was to our development as a nation."

It was, of course, a theoretical discussion, because the wax Bush, whose suit was cleaned after the election, will simply be relocated to the basement.

"To some extent," said Wax Museum owner Rodney Fong, "George W. Bush will always be with us."