George W. Bush to skip Republican National Convention

George W. Bush to skip Republican National Convention

Former President George W. Bush will be skipping the Republican National Convention this summer, his office said Friday.
The Capitol Column | Staff | Saturday, July 21, 2012
This article was updated at 8:12 a.m. EDT to include quotes from former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin about the Republican National Convention.

Former Republican President George W. Bush will not attend the upcoming Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, according to a statement released Friday.

The Associated Press reports that a spokesman for Mr. Bush, Freddy Ford, says the former president has “respectfully declined” the Republican party’s invitation to the national convention where presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is expected to accept the party’s
nomination.
“President Bush was grateful for the invitation to the Republican National Convention,” said Mr. Ford in a statement released late Friday. “He supports Governor Romney and wants him to succeed. President Bush is confident that Mitt Romney will be a great President. But he’s still enjoying his time off the political stage and respectfully declined the invitation to go to Tampa.”

The news was first reported by Politico Friday afternoon.

Mr. Bush skipped the Republican convention four years ago in 2008, appearing only via a remote video feed and becoming the first president in a generation to miss his party’s nominating ceremony. Polls at the time showed the then-President at record low approval rating and the decision was widely viewed as a sign of support for Arizona U.S. Senator John McCain.

Mr. Bush has not publicly comment on his decision noy to attend the national convention, although he did hint in a recent interview with the Hoover Institute that he was enjoying his time away from the political spotlight.

“Eight years was awesome, and I was famous and I was powerful. But I have no desire for fame and power anymore,” said Mr. Bush in the recent interview.

Mr. Bush’s father, George H. W. Bush also declined an invitation to attend the Republican convention, however both of them have said that they are supporting Mr. Romney in the election.

The absence of Mr. Bush could be a benefit to Mr. Romney, who has tried to separate himself from the unpopular former president, likely in an attempt to shield any connection between himself and Mr. Bush by President Barack Obama. In a May CNN/ORC poll, 54 percent of American voters said that they have an unfavorable opinion of the former president, and 81 percent of those polled in a recent CBS/New York Times poll said that Mr. Bush contributed to some or a lot of the poor state of the U.S. economy which has struggled to recover from its deep recession.

Mr. Bush has remained out of the political spotlight for the majority of his post presidential life, and has said in rare interviews that he does not believe in former presidents criticizing their successors. Mr. Bush has played a minor role in the 2012 election. The former president offered his endorsement of Mr. Romney, briefly saying he supports the former Massachusetts governor and wishes him the best of luck in his bid to defeat President Obama.

“I’m a supporter of Mitt Romney. I hope he does well. But he can do well without me,” said Mr. Bush.

The lineup for Republican Party members seems to have captured headlines in recent days. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice presidential nominee, has yet to receive an invitation to this year’s convention. The former Alaska governor, who has questioned and criticized Mr. Romney’s campaign strategy, remains a divisive figure that ultimately could cost Mr. Romney votes in the general election.

“What can I say?” Ms. Palin told Newsweek. “I’m sure I’m not the only one accepting consequences for calling out both sides of the aisle for spending too much money, putting us on the road to bankruptcy, and engaging in crony capitalism.”

“In accepting those consequences,” Ms. Palin added, “one must remember this isn’t Sadie Hawkins and you don’t invite yourself and a date to the Big Dance.”

It is also speculated the New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie, a key Republican figure, will headline the convention, although aides close to the New Jersey Republican dispute the reports.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will be the only Bush family member to attend the convention, according to CNN. The former Florida governor remains one of the Republican Party’s stalwart supporters since leaving office, and is widely seen as a key Romney ally.