Naw, that would have been looked upon as an escape. He did the right thing sloughing it off. After all he was there as the representative of the American people. By showing he was a better man than those taking political shots during a tribute to a great family, he clearly comes out on top.
My mother always says "We're not going to do what THEY do; we're going to do what you're SUPPOSE to do."
That's what Bush did today.