Bush portrait label to be corrected

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National Portrait Gallery director Martin E. Sullivan replied today to a letter sent Jan. 7 by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who was concerned about an inaccuracy in a museum wall label next to the newly acquired official portrait of President Bush. The National Portrait Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian Institution.

The original label said ‘the attacks on September 11, 2001… led to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.’ Sanders objected to the link between 9/11 and the Iraq invasion.

In his letter, Sullivan agreed to make the change: “Our label was not intended to imply that there was a causal connection between the attacks that occurred on 9/11 and the subsequent U.S. invasion of Iraq…I appreciate your concern, however, about the words ‘led to.’ We will revise the label and delete the words ‘led to.’” Sanders expressed his gratitude for the prompt response and the correction.

You can read Sullivan’s letter here. You can read Sanders’ original letter here.

-- Christopher Knight