Vice President Cheney at the dedication of the Smithsonian Institution's Udvar-Hazy Center


Grand Old Partisan celebrates the anniversary of the Udvar-Hazy Center, of the National Air and Space Museum. This enormous facility was a gift from Hungarian immigrant and entrepreneur Stephen Udvar-Hazy. It is in Virginia near Dulles International Airport. 

December 11th 2003, Vice President Dick Cheney spoke at the opening ceremony:

"The center is a monument to the great achievements in flight and to the even greater possibilities that still lie ahead of us. I've been looking forward to coming here for a tour, and I'm extremely impressed by what I saw this morning. The American people rightly associate the Smithsonian Institution with high standards of historic preservation and superb presentation. Those standards are apparent throughout the nearly 300,000 square feet of this structure.

As a regent of the Smithsonian, I congratulate everyone who worked so hard to bring this extraordinary project to completion.

The facility we dedicate today is longer end-to-end than the entire first flight of the Wright Brothers. And the displays on view here capture one of the greatest stories in human experience. When we look at those early biplanes, or the SR-71 Blackbird, or the first Space Shuttle, we see the workings of technological progress. Yet we see much, much more in this collection. All of these inventions give testimony to the imagination, the resourcefulness and the daring of the men and women who made them and who flew them.

In a span of 66 years, just one lifetime, mankind went from Kitty Hawk to the moon. Each step pushed the limits of human knowledge and tested the limits of human courage. Many were massive enterprises – and behind the familiar names, many countless others.

All Americans can take pride in 100 years of historic achievement in air and space. And there is no doubt of this nation's capacity and will to meet future challenges with the energy, the confidence, and the daring that have brought us this far."

Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see www.grandoldpartisan.com

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Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.


Each day, his YouTube videos and TikTok videos and Rumble videos and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states.

Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.

"This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!"

"Your book is a national treasure. I'm always recommending it."

"Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before."

and

"one of the best books I ever read" 

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