Feb 3, 2011 / USA TODAY / By Catalina Camia
Sarah Palin has declined an invitation to speak next week at the Conservative Political Action Conference, skipping the popular gathering of activists for the fourth time.
The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee was asked to give the keynote address on the closing night of the conference, but Palin has a scheduling conflict.
The event, organized annually since the 1970s by the American Conservative Union, will be held Feb. 10-12 in Washington. Several potential GOP presidential candidates have been confirmed as speakers.
"We're disappointed she couldn't make it this year," David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, said through a spokesman. "She expressed interest in wanting to come this year, and we look forward to having her next year."
Some church-based and social conservative groups are boycotting the event over the involvement of GOProud, an organization of gay conservatives that supported repeal of the "don't ask, don't" tell policy that banned openly gay servicemembers. The boycott was launched by the conservative American Principles Project.
ACU expects 10,000 or more people at the conference and has 131 different organizations participating.
Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, John Thune, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Mitch Daniels are among the potential GOP presidential candidates who will speak at the event.
No comments:
Post a Comment