Former President George W. Bush has declined to visit Ground Zero on Thursday. AP Photo
No thanks
Glenn Thrush
Politico
5/3/2011
Former President George W. Bush has turned down President Barack Obama’s invitation to join him at ground zero on Thursday, citing his desire to avoid the media glare.
“President Bush appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight,” Bush spokesman David Sherzer told POLITICO in an email Tuesday night. “He continues to celebrate with all Americans this important victory in the war on terror.”
Obama — who has sharply criticized Bush for neglecting the hunt for bin Laden by invading Iraq — made the offer to Bush shortly after he decided on his New York trip, according to two people familiar with the situation.
The president will travel to the site of the World Trade Center to mark the killing of Osama bin Laden, who was gunned down during a daring raid on his compound north of Islamabad on Sunday. Word of bin Laden’s death prompted hundreds of New Yorkers to gather in celebration at the scene of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa.
Obama, who last visited the site as a presidential candidate in 2008, will meet with family members of some of the victims, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other local officials.
The article, with video, continues at Politico.
This photo H/T Weasel Zippers.
Update: Ace of Spades reminds us that the President isn’t very courteous to his invited guests, so GWB probably made the right decision…
