President Barack Obama laid a wreath at the memorial site in tribute to those killed in the 9/11 tragedy on Thursday morning and there was a glaring absence of the former president at the event however, leaving many to wonder what his possible reasons could be. Obama did mention that he had wished his predecessor would have stood beside him on this occasion, but that there had to be a good reason that he had not appeared.

David Sherzer, the spokesman for former President George Bush, had issued a statement that said, in part, that “while he appreciated the invite, the former president was trying to live as much of his life as possible out of the spotlight.” Another statement, this one uncredited, further explained his absence by saying that the Bush family always believed in one president in the spotlight at a time. Those who were paying attention have been quick to remind Bush and supporters that there have been numerous occasions when more than one American president, including George Bush, have appeared at the same event. Bush and former President Bill Clinton not only appeared at a joint conference to one another in 2009 but came together to form a charity for relief of those in Haiti.

It has been suggested that Bush as well as his supporters are feeling a little bit miffed because there has not been more credit extended to Bush for the Monday slaying of Osama Bin Laden. Some people feel that had it not been for the counter-terrorism policies and agencies that were created under Bush, the amount of progress that has been accomplished to this point would have never happened. The speech delivered by Obama on Monday night failed to mention Bush at all, which may have further inflamed some Republican supporters.

That is in direct opposition with the feelings of the American people, however, who are largely giving credit to President Obama. In a number of polls on the topic, the results are coming out with a strong edge to the current Commander in Chief. Those polls have shown that three out of four Americans believe that the bulk of the credit should go to Obama rather than Bush. Obama’s current approval rating is up again, standing at 52%.

The memorial ceremony, which was brief and understated was meant to honor the fallen and their families, but has instead turned into a further divisive debate for the two political parties that have had so many issues with legal wrangling and in-fighting that nothing is getting accomplished. Others, including those in the Republican party, have taken this moment to further their personal or political debates with the former president.

In related news, there has been a slight change in the feelings of the government of Pakistan as well as other countries in relation to the raid which killed Osama Bin Laden, now calling that action nothing short of “calculated, cold blooded murder” rather than a military action.