Obviously, my invitation was lost in the mail

For the record, I'll not be attending former first lady Nancy Reagan's funeral in California on Friday.

Not that there's any hostility toward Mrs. Reagan --- she was a classy lady of considerable style who was an ornament to the White House, stood by her man and conducted herself with great dignity in retirement.

But I wasn't invited. Perhaps the invitation was lost in the mail.

I'll be in good company in absentia, however. President Obama will be in Texas that day.

Instead, first lady Michelle Obama along with former fist ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Rosalyn Carter will attend. That seems entirely appropriate. 

Former President George W. Bush will accompany his wife --- that's a nice touch, too.

President Bush, by the way, did not attend funeral services for fellow Texan and former first lady Lady Bird Johnson. Nor did President Reagan attend funeral services for the late Bess Truman.

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Actually, I've tended over the years to like first ladies better than their husbands --- although I do rejoice daily that Mrs. Obama's spouse is the current White House incumbent. I'll miss the Obamas' elegance, grace under fire and good sense.

But I'd have been far more likely to vote for Nancy Reagan for president than for her somewhat overrated spouse.

That affection for former first ladies is one of the minor reasons I look forward so much to casting my vote for Hillary Clinton this fall.