Caretaker PM Rajoy and other members of the piecemeal government are also invited, but had been so prior to the other leaders.
Obama’s visit to Spain marks the first by a sitting US president in 15 years, and ,though late in his term, it maintains what has become a tradition of presidents visiting Spain.
Every sitting president since Richard Nixon has visited the Iberian nation while in office.
Nixon visited Franco in 1970. From July 9 to July 11, Obama will visit leaders of a pluralistic democracy.
In turbulent times, historic perspective can still remind us how far we’ve come.