(Reuters) - Former President George W. Bush has declined an invitation from President Barack Obama to attend a New York ceremony on Thursday to mark the killing of Osama bin Laden, Bush's office said.
"He appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight," said Bush spokesman David Sherzer.
Obama is to speak at New York's "Ground Zero" and meet families of some of the victims of the September 11 attacks by Al Qaeda in 2001.
Obama called Bush on Sunday night to inform him of the successful raid on bin Laden's compound, and Bush issued a statement congratulating him and the U.S. military and intelligence agencies for a "momentous achievement."
Sherzer said Bush "continues to celebrate with all Americans this important victory in the war on terror."
Bush began the campaign to hunt down bin Laden after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington but was unable to do so during his time in office.
Actually, The Decider decided within six months after 9/11 that capturing the mastermind (not to be confused with the other mastermind) was "not a top priority use of American resources". The then second-in-deciderhood Cheney seconded the notion by underscoring the more profitable opportunity to keep Americans "safe".As a 2008 presidential contender, Obama found focus in the northwest territories of Pakistan wherein lay plotting terrorists among whom lo and behold was Osama. 2008 republican contenders McCain and Romney did not see it that way at the time but that was then and this is now. Then, McCain said,
"I'm not going to go there and here's why: because Pakistan is a sovereign nation."
Said Romney:
"[Obama] went from going to sit down to tea with our enemies, but then he's going to bomb our allies. I mean, he's gone from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week."
Now, McCain is overjoyed and says that "justice has been done". Romney agrees that "justice has been done". Because Romney is also a 2012 candidate, he goes all-out by posting a photo of Osama captioned with the famous Time Magazine headline of Saddam's demise, "We got him!". Romney also says that he knew the announcement was coming, making one speculate less wildly about the spontaneous gathering outside the White House which "triggered a massive emotional release".
Even greater emotional release is anticipated tomorrow when Obama lays a wreath at Ground Zero.
Cinco de Mayo celebrates freedom and liberty. It is also the birthdate of Karl Marx whom Bill Kristol was reminded of after hearing of Obama's 2008 lament about winning over small-town working-class voters. Said Obama:
“It’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Speaking of frustrations, Attorney General Eric Holder blamed Congress for the Obama Administration's sharp reversal regarding the trial of the other mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Holder proclaimed:
"In reality, I know this case in a way that members of Congress do not. Do I know better than them? Yes."
Presumably Obama's security gods are every bit as confident about their missions tomorrow. Wonder how much it's gonna cost us per ear?
*Option one taken at face value.
