Sen. Harry Reid too busy pretending to be relevant to foreign policy to attend Ford funeral

Since foreign policy is the domain of the executive branch, even if "U.S. relations with some of the countries are in need of improvement" (as Reid's spokesman Jim Manley apparently believes), how is Harry Reid's trip to South America not just a junket? Since they have absolutely no influence over U.S.-Latin American relations (except in the negative sense, if they don't vote in favor of a trade agreement), isn't that a lame excuse for missing Gerald Ford's funeral? (I'm not saying these senators should go -- I'm just saying that "I'm on a junket to South America" is a lame excuse.)