Comment #6

Rick G — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:00:32 GMT

The only "difference" between the two is superficial. They both serve(d) the same masters.

Comment #5

GASMETERGUY — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:05:09 GMT

No, I do not miss him. I voted for him as the lesser of two evils. And I agree with Time*treat. Good response there.

Comment #4

konane — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:37:51 GMT

Policy-wise I'm seeing 8 Bush years on roids crammed into 1.5 years of a run away train. Short list .... how many world leaders has Obama NOT bowed to?

Comment #3

Todd — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:46:13 GMT

There's a lot more bowing to world leaders these days.

Comment #2

time*treat — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:39:16 GMT

Miss him? Policy-wise, it's like he never left.

Comment #1

jarasan — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:31:31 GMT

I confess. I did it.

Original Blog Entry: Who's behind the billboard featuring George Bush?

truesee — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:41:43 GMT

Thursday, 05.20.10

NORTH MIAMI-DADE

Who's behind I-95 billboard featuring George Bush?

A billboard featuring former President George W. Bush has popped up along Interstate 95. In this election year, who's behind it? It's a mystery.

A billboard asking whether President George W. Bush is missed yet stands alongside I-95 just south of 151 street in Miami. PATRICK FARRELL / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

STEPHANIE GENUARDI

Miami Herald

The billboard with a singular image along southbound Interstate 95 towers high above all others.

It features a smiling face of former President George Bush asking drivers a simple question:

``Miss Me Yet?''

No one knows whether this is part of a nationwide movement, but similar billboards have popped up in other spots around the country, some offering witty responses.

Locally, the indigo blue billboard between 151st and 135th streets in North Miami-Dade is getting its own set of smirks.

``It sounds hilarious,'' said Aida Zayas, of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County, who said she had not yet spotted it. ``I look forward to seeing it.''

Other drivers clearly have, and are more than happy to share their thoughts. A phone number is listed on the billboard, which leads callers to a voice mail message: ``Please leave any comments about the billboard after the tone.'' Wednesday, the voice mail box was full.

The person behind the billboard remains a mystery. The name attached to the phone number belongs to Robert Nu ez. There are several people with that name in Miami-Dade County.

New York-based CBS Outdoor owns the 14-by-48-foot billboard, which costs between $3,000 and $5,000 a month to rent, said spokeswoman Jodi Senese. She refused to give up any information about who rented it.

This is not the first billboard to feature the beaming mug of the former president and the ``Miss Me Yet?'' message.

In December, a billboard expressing the same message beneath a waving George Bush popped up along Interstate 35 in the town of Wyoming, Minn., about 15 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

``It caused quite a stir,'' said Mary Teske, general manager of Schubert and Hoey Outdoor Advertising, the company that leased the Minnesota billboard.

After the media caught wind of the billboard in early February, Teske said she was ``bombarded with calls.''

After ``constant media contact,'' Teske eventually informed the public that ``a group of small-business owners'' who wished to remain anonymous had rented the billboard.

The Minnesota billboard may have been the first of its kind to appear in the country. Teske said she has heard of others in different states.

An Internet search shows media reports about billboards outside Dallas and in Clearwater, Fla., near St. Petersburg.

The Minnesota billboard, still up five months later, continues to garner attention. Sometimes, Teske picks up the phone only to hear hysterical laughter.

``It started a wave of people wanting to do their own,'' she said.

Teske said whether folks agree with the message or not, ``It's neat to see freedom of speech alive and well.''

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