When the Newseum opened this summer, some commentators reminded us that museums are places to house the archaic, outdated, and the useless—what a perfect place for print media!

Hearing President George W. Bush speak at the dedication of the renovated and renewed Smithsonian National Museum of American History gave us that same feeling; in just a couple of months, he, too, will begin the tenuous fade into history and will eventually be remembered vaguely by visitors to this very building.

But yesterday, President Bush was still president, and he praised the $85 million renovation, calling the new museum a “fantastic place of learning” and a “great civic institution.” Characteristically, he framed it within his vision of America’s role as guardian of freedom, the patriotic displays becoming evidence for his vision of Americana and its meaning.

The NMAH most certainly has some great artifacts that can stir even the most stolid student of history. The spine of the museum, a five story, skylit atrium-cum-grand staircase that faces an abstract representation of the flag made from 960 polycarbonate tiles (costing some $2.5 million) is speckled with red and blue lights and provides an impressive, if not slightly cheesy, entrance. It also splits the whole museum into West and East wings, making the NMAH by far the easiest museum on the Mall to navigate. Just go to the center, see where your exhibit is (3 West, 2 East, etc.), and go to the corresponding floor and wing.