Posted on 01/31/2002 9:42:54 AM PST by callisto
Arlington, Va. (CNSNews.com) - The chairman of the American Conservative Union said Thursday he was disappointed but not angry that President Bush will not address the 29th annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which opened today in suburban Washington and runs through the weekend.
"I'm viewing it as a scheduling problem. I'm a nice fellow so I understand," said David Keene.
"Events like State of the Union address and his travels made it clear that the president's schedule would not allow him to be with us. But we are very pleased with the Bush administration representation that we will have here," Keene said at a press conference on Thursday, the opening day of the conference.
President Bush's national security advisor Condoleeza Rice will address the conference, as will Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, Drug Enforcement Administrator Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary of State John Bolton and Office of Management and Budget Director Mitch Daniels.
Vice President Dick Cheney addressed the CPAC conference last year, but scheduling commitments prevented him from attending this year.
"The participation of people from the administration is great but you can't always get everybody that you like on the dates that you would want them," Keene said.
CPAC bills itself as the premier annual gathering of conservatives - "one of the most important political events in the nation," according to its website.
The conference is intended to advance important everyday issues such as taxes, crime, culture and foreign policy and to provide basic conservative viewpoints and solutions. It is sponsored by the American Conservative Union, the nation's oldest conservative lobbying organization.
Keene did say that he will invite President Bush to next year's CPAC gathering this year, giving him one year's notice, in the hope that he will be able to speak to the 2003 conference. Bush addressed the gathering by a video hookup last year, while he was campaigning for the presidency.
Ronald Reagan addressed the CPAC gathering 17 times over the years while serving as both a governor and then president. Many conservatives, including Keene, appreciate the fact that Reagan didn't forget the "true believers" who elected him.
"The poll data shows that most people believe that George W. Bush is a conservative. Most people supported him in large part for that reason and the largest group of Americans that identify themselves politically and ideologically refer to themselves as conservatives, too," said Keene.
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