Dems too busy to pay respects to President Ford (Updated)

This nearly unbelievable story comes via Captain’s Quarters. Apparently, soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is just too busy to attend the funeral of former President Gerald Ford.

Reid and his chief sidekick “Gitmo” Dick Durbin are starting a junket to South American countries including an extended stopover in the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. They are well aware that Congressional leaders are expected to show at the funerals of Presidents, a group of men exclusive enough that in over 200 years we’ve not yet had 50 of them. It’s more than rude, it’s calculatingly crass and it just shows what men such as these are made of. And if anyone thinks it’s going to get any better over the next 2 years, you just take a deep whiff of the stench and guess again.

Insults like this should not be forgotten and they damn well don’t deserve being forgiven.

Update: For a look at what a proper sense of respect looks like, you only need look as far an incoming DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. Unlike Reid and Durbin’s little junket, Fenty has an inauguration scheduled. This is an event that affects the entire city of Washington, DC. The event had been scheduled at 10:00 am but Fenty has decided to hold off until after President Ford’s body departs DC. He’ll now start the inauguration around 2:00 pm, tentatively.

Well done, Mr. Fenty. You’ve shown up a supposed pair of Dem Congressional bigshots with class. We may not always agree politically but your honorable actions here will be remembered.

Update 2: Iowavoice writes on the broader topic of Ford’s passing but then updates with this:

I accidentally deleted a comment that was in moderation (sorry!) that tried to point out that Bush wasn’t going to be at the funeral services, either. One major flaw with that: he’s basically doing exactly what he did at Reagan’s funeral. He did not attent the initial Rotunda service, he instead came in and paid his respects the next day.

He will be at the funeral in the National Cathedral, while Reid and Durbin are on their little trip overseas, which they could quite easily cancel. It’s not like they couldn’t postpone the trip for a few days and the people they’re visiting wouldn’t understand.

Look, it doesn’t matter whether they like Ford or not, the man was a President of the United States and as elected officials it’s their duty to be at that service at the very least. Even more so because they are leaders of their party in the Senate. It’s inexcusable for them not to be there.

When the time comes for Carter’s funeral, make no mistake, if a Republican were to do this, I’d be on them, too.

Sounds like he got a comment like I got. And he notes the same flaw with the argument that I did.

Former President Gerald Ford dead at 93

I’ve not been paying as close attention to the news as I normally do while I’m on vacation so mornings have brought some surprises these past couple of days. This morning’s was a big one. Former President Gerald Ford has died. He was 93.

 Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th president of the United States, died Tuesday at the age of 93 years old.

No cause of death was stated by his family in their announcement. Ford had battled pneumonia in January 2006 and underwent two heart treatments — including an angioplasty — in August at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He died at 6:45 p.m. PST at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

I was young enough during Nixon’s administration that I wasn’t paying too much attention to politics. It was right near his resignation that I started following what was going on in that distant and exotic land of Washington, DC so Ford was the first President I watched with any interest.

My family has some experience with the loss of a loved one at this time of year. My condolences and sympathies go out to the Fords. We grieve with them.

Lots more coverage at Pajamas Media.