I think Dubya's inaugural no-show made him & GOP look really bad

[K8-EEE]

Not that I missed him but to see the Carters and Clintons, it was a conspicuous absence, like if they aren't in power they just don't care.

[Dpm12]

1. Dubya

probably hates Obama and refused to show up. Clinton and Carter were both Obama supporters

[K8-EEE]

4. he was there last time but I guess it was his last official duty nt

[lunatica]

16. More likely he's pissed off at the GOP

who basically threw both his father and him under the bus right after their Presidencies. Actually they threw his father under the bus and Clinton won and they just dropped Bush Jr like he was the plague.

[get the red out]

2. I never even thought of him

I'm glad you mentioned it. I think I was watching NBC and they made a point of saying George H. Bush couldn't attend because of recent health problems, but I don't recall anyone saying anything about "W" and I didn't even think of him.

[K8-EEE]

5. yeah GHWB is too frail to go but I think he would have gone otherwise

[onenote]

3. Dubya probably realized that no one from either party would want to sit next to him.

[K8-EEE]

8. I think he's has a daily date with Jimmy Beam

Honestly I picture him on the couch drinking, hhe really has turned into a recluse.

[djean111]

6. Santorum got booed, I read somewhere.

So perhaps Bush & Pack felt it was best to avoid something similar.
And I can see where a ceremonial handing over of the office would be called for, for the first term, but not for the second.
The GOP looks bad because it IS bad.

[onehandle]

7. Go to an event where everyone hates you or sit in your study and drink Jack Daniels?

He made his choice.

[HappyMe]

9. They don't need the shrub to

make them look bad.

[exboyfil]

10. MISS ME YET

NO!!!!!!!!!!!

[MichiganVote]

11. Well this is what a CEO Prez does. Not a goddamn thing for citizens.

Sides' if his own party doesn't want him, why should we? He made Nixon look like a pre schooler while in office and they know it. Two unnecessary and unpaid for wars, unnecessary tax breaks for the wealthy, anything I oppose has his fucking name on it.

Where was Cheney I wonder?

[fugop]

12. I can't stand W but...

... I do wonder if it's that his dad is back in the hospital and really in a bad way. (On edit, I thought I heard he was back in the hospital, but maybe not. There goes that excuse!)

[leftyohiolib]

13. just as well we dont need to see that giggling drunken bafoon again

[TroglodyteScholar]

14. Would have been much more shameful...

...to drag in his hungover and/or drunk ass to further disgrace the whole nation.

Fuck that guy.

[charlyvi]

15. I think he's just sick of it all.

Now I would much prefer it if he had become sick of it all in 2004, but he didn't. I can see his point -- why attend a function where your own party doesn't acknowledge you and the opposite party reviles you? As for making the GOP look bad, I think that ship sailed long ago.

[NewJeffCT]

17. Bush was persona non-grata at the GOP convention

despite Romney being another Bush in terms of policy. My guess is that Bush probably didn't want to be seen with Boner, Cantor, McConnell, etc.

[santamargarita]

18. Anything Bush would be an interloper, in my opinion.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

19. Thank God for small favors

Since Obama's predecessor -- who stood for the exact opposite of everything the current president supports -- wasn't present, the cameras weren't able to cut away to reaction shots during the speech. His presence would have caused pundits to discuss his presence and policies during the after-inauguration panels. Every second of airtime that sack of sh*t would have gotten would have stolen time from the real star of the show -- twice-elected President Obama.

[TTUBatfan2008]

21. Exact opposite? What about their terrorism policies?

Both of them strongly support the PATRIOT Act and Obama even signed the NDAA into law when no one was paying attention (New Year's Eve a couple years ago). NDAA allows the government to detain any of us indefinitely without even charging us, which is in violation of the Constitution. They also agree on tax cuts for 99% of the population. That's a problem since the recent round of tax cuts for 99% of the population will add $4 trillion to the national debt. Putting tax cuts on the credit card is not a good way to run the country, but apparently both of them think it's a good idea.

[Gargoyle22]

20. He wasn't even at the GOP convention and you though he'd be at Obama's innaugural?

[BigDemVoter]

22. Oh I agree . . . .

We already knew that he was a thin-skinned little shit, but now hopefully EVERYBODY will know it.