Maybe Jimmy's not sick

Bushes, Clinton but no Carter at funeral

Carter, a Democrat, was a strong critic of Bush in last year’s U.S. election campaign.

The White House sought to play down any rift with the former president. “We did reach out to him to participate in the delegation,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. “It was his decision to make. We would have been more than happy for him to be part of the delegation.”