Former President Carter left out of U.S. delegation to pope's funeral

[freeandfun1]

Former President Carter left out of U.S. delegation to pope's funeral

He should ask some of his Euroweenie friends or, better yet, Castro to invite him! Or how about Hugo Chavez? Screw Carter. I'm glad he is being given the cold shoulder.

On the MSM this AM they were saying how Condi should withdraw to let Carter go.... Nope. She is Secretary of State and technically, JPII was the head of a state, so she must go. It is protocal. Too bad peanut head.... if you had shown some respect.....

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - President Bush will be joined at the pope's funeral by two former presidents - his father and Bill Clinton - but there's no room for Jimmy Carter.

Carter, who has been a harsh Bush critic, withdrew, but made it clear he wanted to be included in the White House delegation.

The president will represent the nation at the funeral along with his wife, Laura, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Clinton and former President George H. W. Bush.

"It will be my honor to represent our country in a ceremony marking a remarkable life, a person who stood for freedom and human dignity," the president said of the late pontiff.

Carter, the first president to host Pope John Paul II, back in 1979, also wanted to pay his last respects, but he was told there was no room for him.

He was informed that the White House and Vatican had decided to limit the delegation to five people.

"President Carter expressed to the White House a desire to attend the pope's funeral," said Carter spokesman Jon Moor. "He was quite willing to withdraw his request when he was subsequently informed that the official delegation would be limited to just five people, and there were also others who were eager to attend."

Moor would not comment on whether there was any pressure from the White House. Presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said: "It was his decision to make. We would have been more than happy to have him be part of the delegation."

A source described Carter as "disappointed."

There were some rumblings in Washington over Carter's being left out. "Should the first lady be going instead of President Carter?" a Senate Democratic source said.

Former first ladies Barbara Bush and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., will not be joining their husbands.

Sen. Clinton was also left off a 14-member bipartisan Senate delegation, even though the list reads like a who's who of prospective presidential candidates.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., will head the predominantly Catholic delegation, which includes Sens. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., Joseph Biden, D-Del., Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and John Kerry, D-Mass.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., will lead 26 members of Congress to the funeral, including Reps. Pete King, R-N.Y., and Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.

 

[Avatar4321]

Poor baby. I feel so bad for him. I mean its not like he had the opportunity to go to two Pope's funerals during his administration. Oh wait. he did. And he didnt go.

I really don't feel that bad to him

 

[-Cp]

Yeah.. it's a "real shame"... lol