Bush declines Obama invitation to ground zero

Former President George W. Bush speaks at the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan May 28, 2009 in Benton Harbor, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano, Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A spokesman for George W. Bush says the former president has declined an invitation from President Barack Obama to attend an observance at New York's ground zero.
Obama plans to the site of destroyed World Trade Center towers Thursday in the aftermath of a Navy SEALS raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The terrorist attack, which killed about 3,000 people, occurred in the early months of Bush's presidency in 2001.
The spokesman, David Sherzer, says the former president appreciated the offer to attend but has chosen to remain out of the spotlight during his post-presidency.
Sherzer says Bush celebrates bin Laden's death as an "important victory in the war on terror."