As anyone who works in politics knows, it takes very little for your name to appear on email lists and the fundraising asks can be overwhelming. There are supposed to be list managers who help cull out names that don't belong. Still, it's an imperfect process.

So it really shouldn't be a surprise that Ralph Nader's name showed up on the email list for the Bush Presidential Library and the ubiquitous asks for donation to help promote the legacy of the Bush presidency. What I suspect they didn't expect is Nader's open letter in response:

A few days ago I received a personalized letter from your Presidential Center which included a solicitation card for donations that actually provided words for my reply. They included “I’m honored to help tell the story of the Bush Presidency” and “I’m thrilled that the Bush Institute is advancing timeless principles and practical solutions to the challenges facing our world.” (Below were categories of “tax-deductible contributions” starting with $25 and going upward.)

[..]When you were a candidate, I called you a corporation running for the Presidency masquerading as a human being. In time you turned a metaphor into a reality. As a corporation, you express no remorse, no shame, no compassion and a resistance to admit anything other than that you have done nothing wrong.

[..]Can you, at the very least, publically urge the federal government to admit more civilian Iraqis, who served in the U.S. military occupation, to this country to escape the retaliation that has been visited on their similarly-situated colleagues? Isn’t that the minimum you can do to very slightly lessen the multiple, massive blowbacks that your reckless military policies have caused?

Ouch. That left a mark.

Nader did opt to give the Bush Presidential Library a donation after all, though perhaps not something they had anticipated: he donated the book Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions.

I'm gonna go on a limb and say that the book won't be prominently displayed.