I said at the time of the funeral what I truly believe, that I saw no evidence that anybody outside a segment of the black population really gave much of a damn about Coretta King. Attendance at the funerally was a political necessity, however, which only Barbara Bush could apparently transcend with impunity. Everyone else was there because they needed to be, or for what advantage they thought they could draw from the appearance.
The repercussions of not being there had a tremendous downside potential.