Political commentator Michael Reagan slammed President Barack Obama for not planning to attend the funeral of his stepmother, Nancy Reagan, on Friday — telling
Newsmax TV that "it seems that Barack Obama has never learned the right thing to do."
"It would've been nice if he would've honored Nancy and been there, but I'm not surprised again," Reagan, the eldest son of Mrs. Reagan and President Ronald Reagan, told host J.D. Hayworth on Newsmax TV's "America Votes: 2016" in a telephone interview from Thailand. "Imagine if Nancy were a Democrat, liberal — or if Ronald Reagan was, he probably would be there.
"Sometimes, there's a right thing to do," he told Hayworth. "Whether you agree with something or not, sometime it's just the right thing to do. He just keeps on missing the ball on that one."
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Nancy Reagan died Sunday at age 94. She will be buried next to her husband, who died in 2004, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
President Obama will be attending the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Texas. First Lady Michelle Obama and former Democratic first lady Hillary Clinton will attend Nancy Reagan's funeral.
Michael Reagan said that he will honor his stepmother next week on the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which Mrs. Reagan christened in 2001, while his children — Cameron and Ashley — will attend the funeral.
"Nancy was such a great helpmate to him," Reagan told Hayworth. "When you decide to run for office — if you don't have your spouse 110 percent in your corner, who's going to be there" — it can be tough to win the White House.
"What was great about Nancy is not only was she a great helpmate and spouse to my father in that way and a great first lady, but she was that last person to lay her head on the pillow at night that could have the ear of the president of the United States and try to protect him from people out there who were trying to use him for their own good," he said.
Reagan asked Hayworth for "a prayer for the family, a prayer for my kids, a prayer for Ron and Patty and all that we're going through.
"It's not like her passing was unexpected, but whenever you lose someone who's close to you, it's a time truly for prayer and reflection on the life that they had," he said. "Instead of looking at the bad news of this or the bad news of that, look at the good news of the fact that Nancy Reagan is finally with again her Ronnie, whom she spent a lifetime with and she will now spend an eternity with.
"That is a blessing."
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