President Bush will sign a law on Monday to build a World War II memorial seen as a long overdue tribute by supporters and as a scar on one of Washington D.C.'s great open spaces by detractors.
Marking Memorial Day, Bush will put his stamp of approval on legislation to erect a memorial of granite pillars, bronze wreaths and gold stars surrounding a pool on the National Mall, a vast swathe of green in the heart of the nation's capitol.
Critics say the memorial will ruin one of Washington's great vistas because it will sit squarely between the needle-shaped Washington Monument and the neoclassical Lincoln Memorial located along the Mall's central spine.
The Republican president came down squarely on the side of the more than 500,000 private citizens, 48 state legislatures, 1,100 schools and 450 veterans groups that supporters say have contributed funds to build the $160 million memorial.
"It's an important way to honor America's greatest generation and to pay tribute to those who served and sacrificed for their country," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
Bush planned to sign the legislation at a White House breakfast for veterans, after which he will mark Memorial Day, the U.S. holiday honoring fallen U.S. soldiers, with a wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery and then fly to Arizona for another remembrance event, McClellan said.
He will then spend two days in California, his first visit to the nation's most populous state since taking office -- WASHINGTON (Reuters)
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