Ford’s Funeral Attendance
Just how two-faced can people get, you ask? Fox News hasn’t got the room to demand fuck!
At the Capitol, VIP Roll Call Has Many No-Shows
The military band drilled. Wreaths with white roses hung outside the House and Senate chambers. In the Capitol Rotunda rested the black velvet catafalque that once bore the remains of Abraham Lincoln.
Everything was in place for Gerald R. Ford’s state funeral last night — everything, that is, but the statesmen.
President Bush sent his regrets; he was cutting cedar and riding his bike on his ranch in Texas. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his deputy, Richard Durbin, couldn’t make it, either; they were on a trip to visit Incan ruins. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a pass, too — as did nearly 500 of the 535 members of Congress.
A 6-to-3 majority of the Supreme Court, including Ford’s appointee, John Paul Stevens, ruled against attending. All the nation’s governors were invited; few, if any, came. Apparently only two Cabinet members — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez — accepted the invite.
…“Everybody’s got to deal with their own schedule,” Sensenbrenner, who brought his wife and son to the funeral, said of his absent colleagues. But in his minority view, funerals “are important,” he said. “When you’re in an official position, it’s one of the things that’s the right thing to do.”
…
Conservatives were quick to condemn Reid and Durbin, who proceeded with four other senators on a trip to South America, knowing they would miss the rites in Washington. “He’s the incoming Senate majority leader, for crying out loud, and he can’t even show a little bit of respect?” commentator Mike Gallagher demanded on Fox News.But the disregard was bipartisan. The White House sent out a press release from Crawford, Tex., detailing the logistics of last night’s service, then added an asterisk: “Please note that President George W. Bush will not be attending this event.” He will pay his respects when he comes back to Washington, then go to the other service on Tuesday. Aides pointed out that this was the same thing Bush did for Reagan’s funeral, but Bush had a better excuse that time: He was hosting the G-8 summit of world leaders, not clearing brush on the ranch.
Source: WashingtonPost.com
