Mom says I don't have to go.
Ford's funeral tones down regal touches, and Bush will miss Capitol service
Gerald Ford's state funeral is missing some of grandeur of the one for Ronald Reagan two years ago, a reflection of the 38th president's modest ways and lesser imprint on the country, according to further planning details released Thursday.Part of it will be missing President George W. Bush, too. The president will not attend Ford's state funeral in the Rotunda on Saturday night, but will return to Washington from his Texas ranch on Monday, pay respects to Ford while his remains lie in state at the Capitol, and speak Tuesday at services for Ford at the National Cathedral.
Ford created a posthumous buzz with the release of interviews critical of Bush that he gave to two newspapers on condition they not be published at the time.
He told The Washington Post in 2004 and the New York Daily News in May that Bush was mistaken in his rationale for going to war against Iraq. He also said he was "dumbfounded" when he learned of Bush's domestic surveillance program.
George Bush, Troubled Teen. Disgraceful.