This has come to bother me so much.

[bigendian]

I'm taking time out from work to write this.

*'s attendance of the JPII's funeral mass is wrong, plain wrong.
There is no need for it.

The makeup of the delegation is also wrong. His Dad is going? Why?
Laura is going? Why? Condi is going? Why?
Bill Clinton is the only one who might have a legitimate purpose in going and it concerns me that he is even keeping company with such a pack of political sleazes.
The snub of Jimmy Carter is the one that really tears it. That one is almost personal to me.

The whole affair stinks on so many levels that I will beat many Bush people with it until they cry. The junket is totally indefensible!

[Totally Committed]

1. I agree wholeheartedly with this:

"The snub of Jimmy Carter is the one that really tears it. That one is almost personal to me."

Amen! I am appalled.

TC

[rodeodance]

3. I agree, It is so sad. bush travels with his two wives, his dad and his

dad's new best pal. What a terrible site.

[whistle]

2. What reason does Dubya or the republicans have for snubbing

...Jimmy Carter and not inviting him to attend? That one is beyond me.

[rodeodance]

4. no room in the boat- so Carter, being the polite man he is bowed out

[tritsofme]

13. Carter has spoken out against bush and his war on America

and that made georgie upset, so Carter doesn't get to raise money for tsunami relief or go to the Pope's funeral.

[Igel]

5. What would Clinton be the only one with a legitimate purpose?

Who the prez has go to a state funeral is always a political thing, whether it's Arafat's or Brezhnev's. There's never a "need" for a prez or ex-prez to attend a state funeral.

[jean]

6. the Pope decried bush's war in Iraq - put that on a bumpersticker

in other words, though, I'm not too creative!

[KaliTracy]

7. who went from the US the last time a Pope died? n/t

[jean]

8. bush would be the first sitting prez to attend a papal funeral, otherwise

I don't have an answer to your question. But wikipedia has some interesting info on all the popes. Bush would have loved being prez in 1978 because there were three popes that year - he does love the trifecta.

Year of Three Popes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_of_Three_Popes


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_I
His Holiness Pope John Paul I, born Albino Luciani, (October 17, 1912 – September 28, 1978) was elected pope on August 26, 1978, and died 33 days later on September 28, 1978, after one of the shortest reigns in papal history, resulting in the Year of Three Popes. Having died before he could make a legacy as a pope, he is best remembered for his friendliness and humility, drawing comparisons with "Good Pope John", the widely popular Pope John XXIII.

He was the first pope to choose a double name and did so to honor his two immediate predecessors, Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI.

[KaliTracy]

15. thanks for the information! n/t

[ribrepin]

12. I read somewhere

that Carter sent Tip O'Neil who was Catholic and Zbigniew Brzezinski who was polish.

I wish Bushy would have included at least one catholic in his official party. It is, after all, a religious ceremony. And Carter should have been included if Bushy took Clinton and Bushy senior along.

[KaliTracy]

14. yeah, I think it's odd Carter's not with them considering all the Habitat

for Humanity work (among others) that he has done. BUT, he was quite visible during election year speaking out against * -- I got a card "signed" by him -- possibly because of my $10 donation to the Interfaith Alliance (even though I'm agnostic, I felt that their cause was important). So, it was probably a political snub. Clinton and *Senior have been working together on the Tsunami relief work. But for the life of me, I can't imagine why they all need to be there. I wonder who is paying for the security?

[ribrepin]

22. Bush left out former President Carter and took Andy Card instead

I read that the Bush party has terrible seats for the funeral. I'm thinking the Vatican like doesn't being used to deliver a political snub on such a solemn occasion.

[MollyStark]

18. Roselyn Carter

Then they had this Pope at the Whitehouse. That is the only time a Pope has ever been to the Whitehouse.
That is why the Carters should have gone.

[KaliTracy]

23. Oh man..... you are so right. I cannot believe the arrogance of this

administration.... well... yes I can, but I don't want to believe it...

:grr:

[ooglymoogly]

9. damn straight

carter should certainly be amongst the going. condosleeeza should sit in the ejection seat set to eject somewhere over the atlantic

[pacalo]

10. Totally agree.

WhatsHisFace's lack of grace or sense of right & wrong is very evident here. To leave out Jimmy Carter to make room for Laura or Condi is wrong, wrong, wrong.

[ZootSuitGringo]

11. They are not even Catholic!

What is this? Kissing Catholic Ass so they can be included with the Fundies?

And Clinton, staying close to the Bushes and kissing bootey so that his wife gets the nod to run and lose?

It smells...and I ain't talking about the Pope!

[onenote]

16. The insult is in having Andy Card go and not Carter

All of the others (including Pickles) are defensible choices. The Pope is the head of state of the Vatican and thus Rice, as US Secretary of State, is an appropriate attendee. But there's no excuse for having Andy Card there over Jimmy Carter (or Gerald Ford for that matter).

onenote

[MollyStark]

19. There is no excuse for having anyone over Carter

none at all.

[autorank]

17. You're right. Would be nice to have a "do not admit" list for funerals,

generated by the deceased.

[mrgorth]

20. Carter works against the neocon/DLC plan.

Carter really cared.

[cry baby]

21. If the pope could choose who would be there, would he choose

shrub? NO! He would include Pres. Carter and leave off everyone else in our delegation!

I'm p*ssed, too.

[ngGale]

24. Jimmy Carter is the only true believer...

that's why they didn't want him around.