Bush skips 9/11 event, keeps low public profile
SMU Political Science Professor Dennis Simon talks about former President George W. Bush's low profiled concerning Osama Bin Ladin's death.
By JAMIE STENGLE
The Associated Press
DALLAS — In the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush famously grabbed a bullhorn while speaking to those gathered at ground zero, telling them: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."
Almost 10 years later, the now former president declined an invitation from President Barack Obama to attend a somber remembrance Thursday at New York's ground zero to mark the killing by U.S. forces of Osama bin Laden.
Bush's decision is consistent with his desire to keep a low profile. . .
Presidential experts say deference among most former presidents is an unwritten rule.
"In terms of having a lot of sound bite quotes about their successors, I just haven't seen that," said Dennis Simon, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. "I think it demonstrates an appreciation for what it's like to be in that office. It's your time now. I understand what you're coming through because I've gone through that myself."
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