Harry Belafonte Has Gone Totally Senile

Harry Belafonte: Bush Kept Me from King Funeral

Bush-basher Harry Belafonte blamed President Bush for the calypso singer’s no-show at Coretta Scott King's funeral.

Belafonte, a friend of Martin Luther King Jr., had been scheduled to speak at the funeral in suburban Atlanta on February 7.

But he told reporters that Bush influenced the King family to withdraw his invitation, and he was told about the decision the day before the funeral, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "I received a phone call which told me that since the president of the United States made the statement that he was coming to the ceremonies, the invitation that was extended to me would be withdrawn," Belafonte said.

The King children made the final decision, Belafonte said, but they were "fiercely intimidated by the president's representatives."

In January, Belafonte called Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world" during a trip to Venezuela. He has also been critical of the war in Iraq and the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

Although he was unable to attend King's funeral, Belafonte said he doesn't take back his statements about Bush.

Now based on concern for personal safety alone, why anyone would want to be in the same room with someone they themselves have labeled "the greatest terrorist in the world" is beyond me. Unless, of course, your real reason for wanting to attend Coretta Scott King's funeral was to bash the President to his face as opposed to eulogizing Mrs. King's memory. But then, using funerals for personal & political attacks are considered disrespectful by most . . . unless, of course, you're just a Bush-hating liberal who gets off on that sort of thing.