Presidents meet at Bush library opening

Former US President George W. Bush (C) waves between his father, former US President George H.W. Bush, and former first lady Laura Bush at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas April 25, 2013.[Photo/Agencies]

HOUSTON - US President Barack Obama joined his living predecessors Thursday morning to dedicate the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Obama joined with George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter in toasting the 43rd US president and dedicating the George W. Bush library, the 13th and newest presidential library in the country.

At the dedication ceremony broadcast live, Obama praised Bush for his "strength" and "resolve" after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and early support for immigration reform, drawing strong allusions to his current challenges as he paid tribute to his predecessor.

Walking through the library reminded him "of the incredible strength and resolve that came through that bullhorn as he stood amid the rubble and ruins of Ground Zero, promising to deliver justice to those who had sought to destroy our way of life," Obama said.

Obama also recalled Bush's efforts to work with Democrats and his early calls for immigration reform, an effort Obama hopes to finally achieve this year.

"If we do that, it will be in large part thanks to the hard work of President George W. Bush," he said.

"Mr President, for your service, for your courage, for your sense of humor, and, most of all, for your love of your country, thank you very much," said Obama.

Carter, the first former president to speak, praised Bush for appointing a special envoy to help end a prolonged war between Sudan and south Sudan.

Clinton called Bush "disarmingly direct," praising him for helping Haiti, and joked that Bush had beaten him in first becoming a grandfather.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum takes visitors through the turning points of Bush's two terms. The first exhibits recall the 43rd president's initial priorities on education, faith-based community initiatives and tax cuts. And they also show how the 9/11 attacks changed everything.

The library's exhibits include an archive of Bush's presidential papers as well as full-sized Oval Office and Texas Rose Garden recreations spanning across the 14,000 square-foot ( about 1,300 square meters) museum floor.