 President Obama welcomed his predecessor back to the White House on Thursday for the unveiling of the official George W. Bush and Laura Bush portraits. *Update, June 1, 2012: While Bush’s story of the painting’s origins still appears to be false, aspects of Weisberg’s account have also been disputed.
– George W. Bush made a rare public appearance today—next to Barack Obama, no less. And he'll be appearing at the White House every day going forward in at least one form: The 43rd president's official portrait was unveiled in an East Room ceremony replete with jokes and laughs, reports the AP. Bush quipped that the presidents' portraits are now bookended by his own and that of George Washington, noting, "It now starts and ends with a George W." Wife Laura, George H.W. Bush, and Barbara Bush were in attendance. The Christian Science Monitor shares a bit of interesting presidential portrait trivia: Presidents pick the artist who will depict them after sorting through the avalanche of portfolios that are sent to the White House; Lyndon B. Johnson had a second painting done by a new artist after declaring his first portrait "ugly"; and you're not stuck footing the bill for these works of art—donations made to the nonprofit White House Historical Association currently fund the paintings. Click to read about "the irony lurking in Bush's portrait."