Bernie Sanders: Senator and Art Critic

Senator Bernie Sanders is known as a lot of things: a proud Vermonter, a rumored Socialist, and a noted actor. Now, you can add one more title to that list: major player in the art world.

It seems that Senator Sanders was strolling through the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery the other day when he chanced upon the recently unveiled official presidential portrait of George W. Bush. Upon reading the placard next to the painting, he was slightly miffed by some wording describing the work.

When he returned to his office, he drew a quill and penned a missive to the museum's director.

And the Smithsonian trembled. From MSNBC...

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has persuaded the Smithsonian Institution to change the caption on a new portrait of President George W. Bush.

The Vermont independent had objected to wording in the caption that said Bush's time in office was "marked by a series of catastrophic events" including "the attacks on September 11, 2001, that led to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."

In a Jan. 7 letter to the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Sanders said the notion the terrorist attacks were linked to or led to the Iraq war has been widely debunked.

Gallery Director Martin Sullivan wrote back Monday to say the label will be revised and will delete the words "led to."

Quite a coup for Sanders, editing the legacy of a sitting president! Now this couldn't have anything to do with the fact that come next Wednesday, he will still be a powerful senator, and Bush will be back in Texas, clearing brush for the rest of his life?

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