George W. Bush, the former U.S. President has announced he will not be attending the Republican National Convention in August, in Tampa, Florida. Freddy Ford, a spokesman for the former president said Bush respectfully declined an invitation from the Republican Party to attend the national convention. The convention is where Mitt Romney, the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party is expected to officially accept his party’s nomination.

Ford said that President Bush was very grateful to receive the invitation; he supports Romney and wants him to be successful. Ford also said that President Bush is very confident that former Governor Romney will be an excellent President. However, Ford said, Bush was enjoying being away from the political stage and would prefer not to attend the Tampa convention.

In 2008, Bush also skipped the national convention, appearing just via a video feed. He became the first sitting president in more than a generation to miss the nominating ceremony at his party’s convention. At that time, polls showed Bush at a never before low approval rating and it was widely viewed as a way of supporting the then Republican presidential candidate John McCain the U.S. Senator from Arizona.

Bush said in a recent interview he was enjoying being out of the spotlight. He said his eight years in office were awesome as he was both powerful and famous, but he does not have any desire for power or fame now. His father, former President George H.W. Bush declined an invitation to the convention as well. However, both former presidents said they fully supported Romney in the upcoming election.