NBC: George W. Bush Declines Obama’s Invitation to Visit Ground Zero

Former President George W. Bush has declined President Obama’s invitation to jointly visit Ground Zero on Thursday. “President Bush will not be in attendance on Thursday,” his spokesman told The New York Times. “He appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight. He continues to celebrate with Americans this important victory in the war on terror.” MSNBC said Bush plans to mark the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attack at Ground Zero in September. Obama will visit the site of the World Trade Center on Thursday for the first time as president. He will meet with family members of 9/11 victims. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that it’s “terribly important” for Obama to come to Ground Zero again on 10-year anniversary of the attack, and said Obama’s staff said the president is making the trip, but the White House did not confirm Bloomberg’s statements.