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Subscribe to RSSBoth George H.W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush, have announced they will not be attending Obama's inauguration due to concerns about the 41st president's health. George H.W. Bush was recently hospitalized for bronchitis. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush will not attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Monday, a source familiar with inaugural planning confirms.
A spokesman for George H.W. Bush tweeted that the former president and his wife would not attend, the first time he has missed an inaugural since 1997.
Bush, 88, was released Monday from a Houston hospital after seven weeks of treatment for bronchitis, a bacterial infection and a persistent cough.
His son will not attend either. "President and Mrs. Bush wish President Obama and his family all the best for a wonderful inaugural weekend," said spokesman Freddy Ford.
The source confirmed that former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton will attend.
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Who is gonna bring the wraps?
Read my lips, no new inaugurals to attend.
Read my lips, no new wraps.
The people of the United States of America wish only the best for our country and President Obama!
Well, some of us do.
Thomas, you're not wishing the best for our country, or you're not wishing the best for our President? Either way, that makes you a pretty low person - either you wish bad things on our country, or you wish bad things on another human being...yep, pretty low.
Cathy, how could you deduct from that comment that Thomas wished bad thing's. I read it as a positive as meaning that some of us do. Are you a negative person and quick to jump to conclusions?
Voodkook, the inference is perfectly obvious. If only some of us wish our country and it's president well, that implies that some of us don't. So either it's that some wish the president ill, or our country ill, or both. There simply is no other way to interpret what was written. Even the 'glass is half full or the glass is half empty' argument has to acknowledge that the top half of the glass is certainly not full.
If you wish the president will, you are wishing harm on our country since his policies are so damaging to our country. Its quite easy Cathy.
speak for yourself....
Do you blame him?! Obama has blamed his countless failures on Bush, and the left has treated him like rabid dogs, only the Obama bootlickers will be there!
You're quite the simpleton aren't you?
Hey Crystal, maybe you should stop doing meth. GW Bush was the worse president in this country's history. Bush is the one that left Obama with problems, not the other way around.
I am so glad that President Carter is going to attend, and I think his grandson (can't remember his name right now - maybe Jimmy III?) should be a special guest of honor, as he is the one who convinced the person who recorded myth robme at the Boca Raton fundraiser when he made his infamous "47 percent" comments, to turn over the tape to Mother Jones, the revelation of which ultimately doomed myth's quest for presidency, thank god.
What is it with you left wing dolts twisting the names of things? Are you sure you are even old enough to vote?
Grow up. Do you honestly think that the left has supreme power in our legislature? All bills originate out of the House. A divided government is a good thing, no matter which party is in power at the time.
Do you understand that? Probably not.
"All bills originate out of the House" you say? Do you understand that you're wrong about that?
In fact, it's only revenue (tax) bills that the constitution says must originate in the House. (Article I, Section 7, clause 1.) And in fact, the Senate can also propose its own amendments as with other bills. So both houses in fact draft and debate their own bills of all kinds, including revenue measures.
You may recall that the recent fiscal cliff tax bill was handed off to the Senate to negotiate and draft.
Do you understand that? Apparently not!
Ozark,
A divided Gov is good so long as it functions. Our Congress is divided and dysfunctional right now, that combination is not good at all.
so how was Romney wrong? The 47% didn't vote for him did they? So he got vilified for telling the truth.
Actually, only 47% did vote for Mitt..... As for
"W", he knows he looks so bad in comparison, he doesn't want to be seen at
all.
Of course Carter will be there- Obama makes him look good.
Would not it be more correct to say "The Former Presidents Bush"; rather than "Former President Bushes" ?
Small wonder Bushie Jr. won't attend, as he is still too ashamed of himself for wreaking havoc on this country!!!
As for senior, well, he is just that, senile!
Both Bushies were nothing less than crooks! Jokes!
Good thing we have President Obama in charge right now!!!
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SECOND INAUGURAL, Mr. PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, for the Senior Bush, the rules ARE different, he has been sick, I wonder which family members will attend.
Hey, DfromSpencer, WOW!!! I guess ignorance really is bliss. You seem SO happy to have "The Worst President" in U.S. history actually have a chance to screw things up twice as bad now. The Bushes were crooks? How about the Kennedy family? All that money came from "Illegal booze". Nixon? Clinton was impeached, remember? Even involved in a murder coverup (remember Whitewater?) Now, blObama is covering up Libya. He should be impeached!!! Almost 17 Trillion in Dept because of him! It'll be 20 if he gets to stay for the next four years. We'll see if "the Dictator Obama" will actually allow the U.S. to have another election in 2016. At the rate he's using Executive orders, we may not even have another election. Dumb-0-crap!!!
Yes, congrats Obama. Now you may commence with your destruction of America. Three cheers for the anti-christ!!!!
Yea, especially when the first worry of his is climate change and gay rights! Why worry about the debt or employment or gas prices or food prices or ................................................................................?
Why should Bush attend the inauguration of our comrade and chief? Its for presidents not dictators like Obama.
and thanks master Obama for spending $140,000,000 of the taxpayers money on your party, please, have another one....
Isn't that just crazy ridiculous!!!!!! All spending like that for ANY POTUS for any reason, inaguration, christmas etc.. should cease and desist immeadiately!!!!! How do the American people benefit from extreme spending on lavish parties for the POTUS and Washington bigwigs at all??? WE DON'T!!!!! A lot of political positions need a review of their benefits, spending accounts etc.. etc.. The average American is expecting tax hikes, less moeny, higher costs for all of life's necessities, worries about jobs or job security, hanging on to their homes etc.. Does the POTUS and his cronies really need to be entertained to such an extravagant tune???? HELL NO!!!!!
Should not it be, "The Former Presidents Bush", rather than "Former President Bushes" ?
You're absolutely corect. Surely you are a liberal. Conservatives can't even spell or use punctuation properly.
Clarence, you're an idiot.
Clarence24, please recheck your own spelling, and then get back to us all on who can spell or use punctuation properly. The last time I checked, the correct spelling was not "corect". And since when does spelling ability, or lack thereof, make one's opinion more or less valuable anyway?
Thus says the person who managed to mess up his own post within the first three words.
Ouch! I imagine that shoving one's foot that far down one's throat has to be painful.
Will Clinton be taking Monika this year?
Monika is old news.
George W was not invited to the Republican Convention! He would NOT be welcome at the Inauguration!!!
The GOP has spent the last 4 years trying to convince everyone that Geo.W.Bush never exited. He disappeared on the 20th of January of 2009 and he hasn't been scene politically since.
They would like to convince everyone that the US went from President Clinton to Obama w/o those 8 years of republican failure between them. They have no policies of their own except obstructionism and warfare and now Mitt Rmoney wants to disappear as well.
I'm not a fan of Obama but I did vote for him as the slightly lesser of two evils. I would have rather had a Eisenhower Republican or the Green Party who had a vision instead of continuing too many failed policies of the past, but the electoral system is rigged in favor of continung the two corporately owned parties.
socialist democrats are such hypocrites...
I for one will miss neither Bush, especially Jr whom I called "monkey". In retrospect a monkey is smarter; my apologies to the primate!
Aren't you one of those idiots that get your panties in a bunch when somebody insults President Obama? Don't you throw out the race card when somebody disagrees with WH policy? Hypocrisy suits you well my friend............
Hypocrisy suits pretty much ALL liberals well.
Awww jeez... I wonder what would happen if anybody called obummer a "monkey", like you did about Bush? I'm sure the lefties would have a field day with that one!!!
wow want to look at those dried up Bush's or their dried up wife's Bush's either. ???
It's ridiculous that DubYa was even invited. He's a war criminal and doesn't deserve the company of decent Americans.
That must be your butt talking 'cuz surely you mouth would know better...Obama watches for 7 hours as 4 Americans die needlessly. He's too impotent to act; I understand his little problem. But then, he covers it up like a true coward.
Obama, a true war criminal.
Really? And people doubt that it is urgent for us to invest in mental health? How could you forget a certain president that stood smiling and oblivious for years while he was responsible for thousands of American deaths and even joked about the whole disaster? Republican logic should be a chapter apart for researchers of mental disfunction.
I can understand Bush Sr. not attending due to his health. However, I find Bush Jr.'s unwillingness to attend the inauguration a bit suspect. Earlier in the week, it was announced he wouldn't attend due to his wanting to be with his father. HOWEVER, while Bush Sr. was actually IN the hospital, news reports abounded that Jr. was nowhere to be seen while the rest of the family was at the former President's bedside virtually round-the-clock.
It was no secret Bush Sr. & Obama have mutual respect for one another, and I suppose that rankled Junior. It seems pretty petulant to me, though, that he wouldn't show up for the ceremony; as a statesman, as a former President, he should show his respect for the position, as are the other former Presidents.
"he should show respect for the position"...are you that naive? BO built his sorry career blaming Bush; where's the respect there? Bush NEVER said a word about BO's constant attacks; if you paid attention to current events, you'd know that. Bush NEVER said a word about the sorry state Clinton left the security of our nation in; he just went to work and kept us safe. Bush was a man, a leader, and a great president. BO's just a piece of trash the dog drug in.
Obama, a true war criminal and blamer-in-chief.
Well....Bush destroyed economy and lives and expected to be applauded for it. War criminals? Better minds than yours here and abroad have rightly put in that category W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. They belong in a tribunal in La Hague. Republicans, with their usual shameless logic, accuse others of their own hineous crimes. It's actually quite funny to see them in action. What's next? Lindsey Graham attacking gays? Palin attacking slow learners? O'Reilly attacking paranoids? Limbaugh attacking raving mad dogs?
Why should he start showing respect for anything now? He never showed respect for the constitution, for human lives, for the truth, for people other than his elitist "base", for knowledge, for ethics, for logi...
Hmm, maybe Grover Norquist ordered GW not to attend the inaugural.
REally I don't blame the Bush's for not showing up...all Obummer has done in his first term is blame Bush for everything.
Dubya is hiding in shame.
Remember, a smart phone is only as smart as the operator.
With the exception of Bush Senior who was just released from the hospital, every living former President should be in attendance to show respect for the office. Whether or not they agree with the politics of the current President is not the point......
With the exception of Bush Senior as he was just released from hospital, all living former presidents should be in attendance as a show of respect for the office, if nothing else. Whether or not you agree with the politics of the current president is not the issue............
I have sympathy for Bush Senior not being able to attend. Plus, unlike his son, Bush Senior wasn't totally inept. But Bush Junior doesn't have any real reason not to go.
Lack of civil responsibility.
It's outrageous that Bush Jr doesn't attend as a matter of historical respect for the presidency. But he IS so disgraced that he doesn't even attend Republican conventions. Given his unprecedented level of public humiliation and hatred, maybe it's just as well he doesn't show his face. He's many disgusting things, including a war criminal. He can't even show is face in some European countries because of outstanding war crimes indictments.
Mitt should be the guest of dis-honor, then someone should put the 47% on loudspeaker just before the inaugural address after the swearing-in, so that the 100% can teach him a lesson or two on what respect is.
Oh grow up and get over your ridiculousness!!!!! That type of disrespectful comment is even beneath a grade schooler and far less mature than one. Get over yourself already!!!!
Even Republicans, who seem to understand little, understand that Dubya screwed both country and party with his incessant string of bad decisions. So if Dubya decided not to attend the second Obama inauguration, that's just another one of his bad decisions, and perfectly true to form for George W. "Wrong-Way" Bush.
Dubya not showing up for the inauguration was the FIRST decision of his that I actively agree with. Way to go George...Just sayin'....
You could benefit from my above comment as well SteveR. Labeling all republicans and trying to taint them with your hate is just juvenile!!! Do you let your children read the trash you spew? Most kids respect an intelligent argument on an adults opinion and are disgusted by comments like yours.
Jr. treated his obligation to be with his father like he treated his obligation to the National Guard. Lip service only.
W was the worst president in history!! Unfortunately Obama never had the balls to start an investigation to find out what really happened regarding 911.
Bush and his cronies should have been forced to testify under oath.
no one knows the truth and now we'll never find out , if bush and his buddies actually did something that could be a treasonous act , we the people should know.
when nixon was pardoned by ford, it was terrible for our country, if you do the crime you must pay for it regardless if you are the president! or as nixon said "if the president does it, it's not illegal"
the republicans forced clinton had to testify under oath over a blow job from an adult, how much did it cost the taxpayers? what did it accomplish?
he went awol in the nat;l guard and all the documents disappeared.
what i found amazing is how karl rove was able to brainwash our country to believe that a man with 2 purple hearts didn't deserve to be president, but bush who went awol did!!
remember--who would you rather have a drink with bush or gore? we are stupid americans for believing their bs
Since there are so many knowlegable people on here, could one of you explain to me what happened in Benghazi, Libya? Why were our military told to "stand down" (3 times) when our people were being attacked? You are aware that Mr. Stevens was beaten, tortured, sodomized in public before and after death. The pictures are available on line for you non-believers, look to a Muslim news thread, they were quite proud of their actions.
Please explain to me why our administration sold guns to the Mexican Drug Cartels which caused the death of so many Mexican Nationals as well as our own 2 Border Patrolman?
Why would we send fighter jets and assault weapons to our sworn enemies of the Muslim Brotherhood? As I recall, they have been responsible for atrocities not only against our country but other nations around the world.
As far as the 147 countries in the so-called United Nations, they should be disbanded for crimes against their own people as well as crimes commited in our country under guise of 'immunity from prosecution'. It is past time for us to withdraw from that corrupt band of 1st degree criminals against humanity and stop aiding in the torture of the poor people that live under their extreme rule.
How is it that so many counties had more voter turnout than registered voters? How does a deceased person vote in any election?
I don't care if you are Democrat, Republican, Liberal Progressive (Marxist Socialist ie Communist) Left-wing or right-wing nut case - does anyone understand basic accounting? How long do you expect to take in $5 Billion and spend $11 Billion daily? Perhaps you have no future family to concern yourself with, why not saddle our great great grand kids with the out of control spending going on in D.C. as long as you get your freebies. Who determined that someone making $9.19 an hour was now part of the 'rich' you know the ones that our politicians want to tax more. You do understand that the RICH politicians can afford to have accountants and lawyers and armed body guards while we 'subjects' go to work everyday, cut expenses to the bone to keep within our budgets and pray that our family is not met by some habitual criminal Hell bent on depriving us of our loved ones or property. You see, it takes that 'Rich Captilist' to sign the front of a check so that you can sign the back allowing you to pay into the taxpayers piggybank for the extravagant elitist lifestyes of our politicians.
How many of OUR homeless, jobless, hungry, sick, truly disabled and without hope citizens could have been helped by the millions of taxpayer dollars spent on wasteful 'studies' and lavish vacations?
Where is the tranparency (Obamacare's 24 pages addressing healthcare out of 2700 pages?)
Where are the 'Open' doors for discussion? Don't you think it is time for the American people to rip the deadbolts off the doors the politicians hide behind?
The National debt is $16+ Trillion and goes up every second...
Where does the Buck stop if not with our Commander in Chief? IT STOPS WITH YOU! Now get off your pedestal, stop pointing your finger, stop placing blame, roll up your sleeves and get to work on making our country the best that it once was. Take responsibility for yourself so that you can help others who cannot help themselves...
Excellent post elf. Well stated and so true and to the point!!!!!
Elf,
You're making a lot of statements and yet I see no link or reference to back it up. Many of us realize that you can't believe everything you see and hear on the internet and that's a fact! So now birthers have moved on to say that President Obama is aligned with the muslim brotherhood! It would be funny, if it wasn't so sad that such low information people give our nation a bad image.
I wish obama gets his just deserves, and Pres Carter had to see the one president who had a worse track record than him. And after all the trash Obama has talked about the Bushes, I support thier decision not to appear. And who will Obama blame when at the end of the term, the national debt is twice what it is now? oh right, bush
I think we will be much better off with 200K in dept. left behind for every baby born in the U.S.. It's called "indentured servant" a term that went away when the Americans kicked King George out of America. Now it's back. King Obama and a new generation of indentured servants. Best thing to do is disarm Americans (just like British Royalty did 500 years ago) before they realize they are indentured to the Federal Government Class. Yes, I said Class because that's what it is. There are more millionaires in D.C. than any other city in America. Let Americans try to revolt with their pitchforks and axes.
Both George Bushs - war criminals both - could certainly have appeared at this event had they chosen to do so. The elder -- a CIA president and central figure in the US capitalist-imperialist two-party ruling class regime -- is on his last legs and good riddance. The younger Bush, internationally wanted for his war crimes, would have been laughed at, shouted out, cursed, and likely had things thrown at him. Good riddance. Keep him in Dallas, the town with the fame of having assassinated one president and served as the refuge of another.