Southern Methodist University has “all but won” the contest to be the home of President Bush’s presidential library, the Los Angeles Times reported today. The selection committee for the library, which will be financed with some $200-million in private gifts, was also considering Baylor University and the University of Dallas, but they will now be on hold while Southern Methodist becomes the “sole focus” of the committee’s negotiations. It will make a final decision early in 2007. The Times said the university had a leg up on the competition because of its close ties to many Bush-administration insiders, including the first lady, who is an alumna. The president’s alma maters, Yale and Harvard Universities, were never under consideration.