Why is the President including Clinton in the Papal funeral and the Tsunami relief effort?
Is he able to go beyond party in his last term or is it an excuse to hang out with Dad? Perhaps he wants to treat former Presidents well since he will become one.
Let’s not yell and scream too much in this thread. If Bush I and Clinton can get along so can we. 
Was it President Bush who decided who comes, or the Vatican?
I presume it was Bush. If the Vatican were inviting former Presidents, there are Carter and Ford.
Carter wanted to go but there was a perceived snub…no cite.
Ford is around 91 years old and, I assume, doesn’t travel much.
His dog, Liberty, was embalmed better than the pope.
The tsunami relief effort television ad I remember seeing had George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, not George W. Bush and Clinton. Am I wrong?
WRS
Bush the Elder and Clinton were the two who flew out as the representatives of the USA to the areas affected by the tsunami. Don’t know about the tv ad since I don’t get to watch much tv.
BTW, Bush reported that on the long flight there was only one bed so Clinton let Bush, who is much older, sleep in the bed. Later Bush came out and Clinton was stretched out asleep on the floor.
Yesterday NPR said the American deligation was alloted 5 seats by the Vatican. Carter stayed home so Condi Rice could go.
I sort of saw the tsumani TV ads while fast forwarding my DVR, it was George 41 and Bill.
Without getting into animosity here, I think Bush the younger realizes that there is a significant chunk of the population out there that revile him and deify Clinton.
So, if he wants to get most of the nation behind him, he goes bipartisan.
I can’t cite any specifics, but didn’t previous presidents do this too? I seem to recall that in many Big Events throughout my life, former presidents of both parties were often present. I just took it as tradition.
I’ve always gotten the impression that Bush and Clinton have a decent amount of respect for each other. Very little bashing on either side that I’ve ever seen, and they always speak of each other with respect.
Including Clinton on things is an easy way to win some bipartisan points without risking anything. It makes W. look like a gracious guy, and it doesn’t affect policy or the direction of the adminstration in any way.