George W. Bush passes on ground zero visit; radio host asks when SEALs will drop in on him

Former President George W. Bush will not be joining Barack Obama on Thursday at ground zero to honor those tragically killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Obama plans to lay a wreath at the site of where the Twin Towers once stood.

"President Bush will not be in attendance on Thursday," his spokesman, David Sherzer, said Wednesday. "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."

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy did accept Obama's invitation and will represent the 152 people with Connecticut ties who died on that infamous day.

"Gov. Malloy is appreciative that President Obama invited him to the wreath-laying ceremony at ground zero, and he is going there to represent the people in Connecticut who died on 9/11, as well as their family members and loved ones," the Democratic governor's spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan said. 

A different Malloy, progressive radio host Mike Malloy, raised eyebrows Wednesday when he asked his radio audience if George W. Bush should also be visited by the heroic Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden.

"I have heard some commentators talk about the fact that, all the lives that have been lost in this war on terror, and now the summary execution of the person responsible," said Malloy, one of the original hosts on the now-defunct Air America.

"But as soon as I heard that, I thought, well, Bin Laden really didn’t have anything to do — did he? — with Iraq. And I think his only relationship with Afghanistan was geographical. But Iraq — all the death in Iraq was not caused by Bin Laden. The death in Iraq was caused by George W. Bush," continued Malloy, who describes himsef as "a traditional liberal Democrat doing his part to return the Democratic Party to its liberal roots." 

"Five thousand Americans, tens of thousands permanently damaged and shot to pieces, a million Iraqis dead — that wasn’t Bin Laden. That was George Bush. So when does Seal Unit 6, or whatever it’s called, drop in on George Bush? Bush was responsible for a lot more death, innocent death, than Bin Laden. Wasn’t he, or am I wrong here?" Malloy asked.

Soon after Obama learned that Bin Laden had been killed, he phoned Bush to tell him the news. Bush then released a statement of congratulations.

"Earlier this evening, President Obama called to inform me that American forces killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Al Qaeda network that attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001," Bush said in a statement. "I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude," he said.

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-- Tony Pierce
twitter.com/busblog

Photo: File photo of then-President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush lay a wreath in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. at Ground Zero, the site where the World Trade Center Tower 2 stood September 10, 2006 in New York, New York  Credit: Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images

Comments

[NadePaulKuciGravMcKi]

the world is about to learn EVERY part of 9-11 is a lie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTAqUwYHnec

[Granny Jan]

I made a one minute video on the GZ visit. I really packed a lot into that one minute. Barack Obama as President has made dozens of visits to NYC but never made time to visit GZ until now.

Barack Obama Makes His First Visit To Ground Zero As President
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDzI7hYM3L8

[Jack C NYC]

subconsciously Bush knows he failed to protect America on 9/11, his #1 job... then the mishandling of the Katrina aftermath... the guilt will take it's toll... partly his fault... partly others fault... partly no one's fault...

I heard Bush will be on the Rush Limbaugh show.

[klove]

Where are all the people who scream about a civilized tone when psychopaths talk like Malloy? And why would you even give such a disgusting message credibility by posting it here?

[Steve Crisp]

Interesting video, NadePaulKuciGravMcKi.

Thank you for producing a very nice montage of some of the most brilliant people ever assembled to lead this country through tough times. I did note, however, that in your effort to make a statement about those who invest others lives in military action without actually serving themselves, you neglected to offer a picture of Obama. And just about every other member of his entourage. Or does his preemptive strike against Libya along with the continuation of the correct Bush policies in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gitmo have no bearing on your delusional thought processes?

And then you wonder why conservatives summarily dismiss leftists until you get peskier than gnats whereupon we then simply squash you like the bugs you are.

[Scullman]

We here in NYC commemorate the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 ON Sept 11.

Obama: Missing in Action- September 11, 2009 and September 11, 2010.

That's all you need to know.

[Thor]

klove is obviously highly offended that a left-wing talk-radio host would go off the deep end. What does Mike Malloy think he is, a far-right loonie?

Insanity is the province of the braindead fundamentalist rabid far-right, isn't it?

[Shirley]

I am appalled at the comment by radio newscaster Malloy. It is people like Malloy, whose ignorance shows whenever he opens his mouth, that need to learn that along with Freedom of Speech, there goes a RESPONSIBILITY, which he apparently does not understand and probably never will until he or someone he cares about (if there is anyone besides himself that he cares about) is the recipient of the possible result of such thoughtless statements.

[Mark Schaffer]

Klove,
Do you honestly believe the lies told by the Bush administration that led to the Iraq war and hundreds of thousands of dead civilians there?

[CyberCosmiX]

Mike Malloy: "So when does Seal Unit 6, or whatever it’s called, drop in on George Bush? Bush was responsible for a lot more death, innocent death, than Bin Laden. Wasn’t he, or am I wrong here?"

What an idiot. I suppose in his warped mind Franklin Roosevelt & Winston Churchill should have been executed, too...

[hey]

malloy sounds like a threat on Bush's life, is this legal? oh well, malloy is the kind of far-left America hating hypocrite who voted for, and will vote again for barack obama. these are his kind of people.

[Kwame]

I completely agree with Molly. Bush killed millions with this war. why isn't he being charged with international war crimes agianst humanity?

[Mark Schaffer]

CyberCosmiX,
We were defending ourselves in WWII whereas we were the invaders of Iraq. Do you get the difference?

[CharlesMartel]

Whatever happened to Air America?

[onceafan]

this idiot's relevancy is proven in his now defunct Air America radio program and station. This loser needs a capital L tattooed on his forehead.

[TAMMY LANE]

All I can say is: Pray for Mr. Malloy, this is a very sad that there are people like this on the airwaves.... just pray!

[erl]

I hate bush. He is a liar and a coward; A liar because he said Saddam and Iraq were a threat when they were not; just so he could avenge the assassination attempt by Saddam on his father in 1993; A coward because he used the Texas Air National Gaurd to cower his way out of fighting in Vietnam. I hope he burns in hell.

[Greg Young]

To be fair, perhaps Mr Molloy would allow SEAL Team 6 choose which house to drop in on, Bush's or Molloy's? Of course that would be disruptive to the SEAL's causing infighting over who gets to pop this scumbag Molloy.

[Combat Wombat]

Does it occur to anyone that maybe George Bush just wanted to let Zero have his moment? That is the kind of thing the Bushes would do.

[JW]

Kwame,

The military actions that Bush pursued and for which he received Congressional approval has resulted in deaths measured in 10's of thousands, not millions.

A statement plus an exaggerated claim only weakens your origional statement. If you do actually think Bush killed millions you need to do a little research.

[Gary Hartzheim]

Mike Malloy

How easy you forget the 50,000 plus men who sacrificed their
lives in Vietnam and the Thousands of others who were and are maimed for life during a war fought largely under the Democratic Party. Did you or your like call for Army Special Forces to pay a visit to President Johnson? Or are you too young to remember? Maybe you heard about it when you attended college assuming you got that far.

A Vietnam veteran and Retired USN CPO.

[Patty]

Congrats go out to Bush on the death of bin laden. He has been the only president with balls enough to actually fight for our country and bin ladens death was set in motion on 9/11. All Clinton wanted to do was screw the staff and he even sat down with bin laden and talked with him. Obama has sent our country in a tail spin. Obama knew that if he didn't give the "ok" he would loose the presidency. Now who would you want protecting you? The men and women of our military know when they enlist that they will eventually be called up to defend our freedom, and that is just what they are doing. Yes, they even defend scum like Malloy and Pelosi.