Funeral Controversy Reignites Carter-Bush Feud
Jimmy Carter’s supporters continue to be outraged that the former president was not part of the official delegation to Pope John Paul II’s funeral, despite his twice declining the invitation to attend.
Carter’s Absence From Group Reignites Tensions With Bush (WaPo, A16)
He was the only president ever to host a pope at the White House when John Paul II came to visit a quarter-century ago, and in many ways Jimmy Carter had a powerful spiritual and philosophical affinity for the Polish pontiff. But when the pope is buried at the Vatican this morning, three living U.S. presidents will be in attendance and Carter will not. The reason has touched off a classic Washington imbroglio fueled by suspicion, animosity and distrust, one that has reopened a rift between the camps of the former president and the current one. When Carter was left off the delegation list assembled by President Bush’s White House, Democrats assumed he was snubbed. The Bush team is angry at what it considers an unfair smear.
The truth is a little harder to sort out. Both sides agree that the White House invited Carter and that he ultimately chose not to go, but questions immediately arose as to whether he was genuinely welcome or subtly discouraged from joining the entourage. Both sides have officially denied any dispute and issued instructions to their various surrogates not to discuss the matter publicly to avoid prolonging what has turned into a messy sideshow to a solemn event. According to people on both sides most familiar with the discussions, the episode grew out of a sequence of telephone calls during a fluid two days that evidently left room for misunderstanding. White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. called Carter at least twice to invite him to join the delegation. Carter initially accepted, but when Card called back and reported that others were interested in joining a delegation limited to five members, the former president withdrew.
One person close to Carter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the former president thought the final delegation was a strong one and did not require his presence. “He did not believe there was any kind of snub or anything inappropriate,” the person said. “The president and first lady, and I include them both, have been nothing but gracious and courteous to President Carter.”
[…]
The skepticism in the Carter camp was exacerbated by the televised images out of Rome on Wednesday showing Bush kneeling in prayer along with the other members of his formal delegation — his wife and father, Clinton, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And then joining them was Card, who was not even officially a member of the delegation. “I think it’s an outrage,” said Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter’s national security adviser, who said he has not spoken with his former boss about the funeral. “It’s scandalous. He should have been included in the official party. I suppose in the White House there was some resentment that the president was so critical of Bush at the convention.” Another source close to Carter said it appeared to be a misunderstanding at first. “I can see how an honest mistake could have happened,” he said. But this source took umbrage that the White House has portrayed Carter as uninterested in attending the funeral. “You sort of think maybe it wasn’t an honest mistake.”
[…]
The current tiff began over the weekend even before John Paul died, when Card first called Carter to ask if he would want to go to the funeral with the president, according to several accounts. Carter accepted. None of the other former presidents was going at that point. Gerald R. Ford has grown too weak to travel extensively, Clinton was recovering from recent surgery, and George H.W. Bush did not plan to accompany his son. Clinton, though, met with his doctor Tuesday and got clearance to go. George H.W. Bush, who has been working with Clinton on tsunami relief efforts in Asia, decided to go too.
Accounts diverge at this point. According to one, Carter withdrew when told no other former president was going, and then Card called back and reported that the senior Bush was going and asked if Carter wanted to reconsider. Carter considered that a father-son pairing and declined, in this version. According to another, Card called back and said both Clinton and the senior Bush were going and Carter could be the fifth member. If he did not want to go, Card said, Rice was interested. In this variation, Carter felt that was a strong enough delegation without him and agreed to let Rice go in his place.
This is an odd story, indeed. Carter was twice invited but declined in order that others might go. He maintains publically that he was not snubbed and is not bitter. But his supporters nonetheless think he was targetted politically. It’s quite bizarre.
When the story was initially reported, I argued that Carter should have been invited despite politics. If it was clear that he wanted to go and felt awkward bumping someone else, it would have been nice if the administration had wrangled another slot. Regardless, there’s certainly no cause here for outrage.
Update: Megan McArdle needs a new outlet for her moral outrage.
Having argued this point in a previous post of yours, and given this new information, I retract what I said about Bush being childish. It seemed like it to me at the time, but is clearly not the case. If he did invite Carter, which appears so, then I would change “childish” to “gracious”
One wonder why the ex-president would have let the “Bush didn’t invite Carter” bashing go on for so long.
Fortunately, one probably doesn’t have to wonder for too long.
And I, in turn, retract any implications in my own comments about you, Michael, as a “Carter supporter.” With apologies.
I’m not too sure – but isn’t Carter “the” Catholic outta the bunch?
But anyways, maybe Carter will think twice when he goes around the world/nation and bashes President Bush.
Ian: Carter is a Southern Baptist. Indeed, he’s a deacon at the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains.
Kevin,
Amy Carter is an acquaintance of mine – my partner works for her husband. Does that count as Carter supporter?
By the way, I retract all the things I say about you in private and on porno message boards.
I mean to say ex-husband.
By the way, I retract all the things I say about you in private and on porno message boards.
Aw, c’mon. Those comments have been my best advertising!
I don’t think Jimmy Carter is a Southern Baptist anymore. I think he actually went with the CBF when they split from the SBC after the conservatives regained control of the SBC.
But Carter is definitely a Baptist of some sort, and is not Catholic.
This sounds like a group of people looking for one more reason to bash Bush, rather than anything truly controversial.
JM: You’re right. I had forgotten about that. Carter left the SBC in 2000 and took his church with him.
Carter didn’t attend the funeral of Pope Paul VI–he sent his wife to head that delegation nor the funeral of Pope John Paul I–he sent his mother to head that delegation–both when he was the sitting President. So why should he have been invited to attend the funeral of JP II? He shouldn’t have, and this should be the end of the discussion.
Finally!