Back to Lone Star: A Dallas Abode Fit for an Ex-President

The Dallas home purchased by a Bush accountant. (L M Otero -- AP)

Well, that was fast.

On Wednesday, Laura Bush told reporters she and the president "might be" buying a place in Dallas. Yesterday, the White House announced that they've purchased a home in the city's upscale Preston Hollow neighborhood.

No other official details, but the Dallas Morning News helpfully identified the likely homestead. Robert McCleskey, the Bushes' longtime friend and Midland accountant, bought a house at 10141 Daria Pl. on Oct. 3, according to local property records. The 8,501-square-foot house, built in 1959 at the end of a cul-de-sac, has four bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths.

The one-story house is assessed at $2,078,660 but apparently is worth a lot more. According to the deed, McCleskey, listed as a trustee, took out a $3.07 million loan to be paid back in four years, our colleague Dan Eggen reports. McCleskey declined to say for whom he bought the property; the former owner also is keeping mum. Last week, a smaller house next door went under contract for $1.6 million to an unknown buyer -- perfect crash pad for the Secret Service detail.

The main property backs up on two enormous estates owned by prominent Republicans. One, a 14-acre spread, belongs to Gene Phillips, a real estate developer and GOP fundraiser, and his wife, Roxanne; the other is owned by Tom and Cindy Hicks, who bought the Texas Rangers from Bush and his partners and have contributed more than $600,000 to the president and other Republican candidates since 2000.

This is a homecoming for the Bushes: They lived in the same neighborhood from 1988 to 1995, before he became governor of Texas. Southern Methodist University in Dallas will be the home of his presidential library, under construction.