More than 4,000 conservative activists and leaders ” some critical of the Bush administration that they helped elect ” will gather today a few blocks from the White House.
They will hear from Vice President Dick Cheney and Bush policy adviser Karl Rove when the 32nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference kicks off its three-day meeting at the Ronald Reagan Building.
Both men have their admirers and critics in the Republican Party’s conservative electoral coalition, which will be represented at the conference.
Conservatives are deeply divided over the administration’s policies on issues such as immigration, civil liberties and the war in Iraq ” all of which are scheduled for discussion at the conference.
But the conference consciously has set out to highlight issues on which the political right finds considerable agreement ” including disdain for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
“The focus will be on the U.N.’s food-for-oil scandal, the dangers of multinationalism, U.S. sovereignty, getting control of federal spending and President Bush’s Social Security reform initiative,” said David A. Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union.
He said the issue of U.S. sovereignty will get “major attention” on Friday at a scheduled press conference on the Law of the Sea Treaty, which the Bush administration supports but many conservatives oppose.
In a speech today, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre will hit the United Nations for pushing global gun control and “confiscation.”
Illinois Republican Rep. Henry J. Hyde will receive the John M. Ashbrook Award at tonight’s presidential banquet, at which Mr. Cheney will be the featured speaker.
Mr. Hyde, 79, has been a hero to many on the political right for 30 years. He authored legislation in 1976 to restrict federal funding of abortions and chaired the House committee that recommended the impeachment of President Clinton in 1998.
For his Senate investigation of the U.N. oil-for-food scandal and defense of U.S. sovereignty, Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, will receive the Defender of the Constitution Award at the banquet.
Former Georgia Sen. Zell Miller, who stumped for President Bush’s re-election campaign last year, is the only major Democrat scheduled to appear at the conference.
Commentator Pat Buchanan, a former Republican White House aide and two-time presidential candidate, will open tomorrow’s sessions.
The biggest name among former Republican lawmakers addressing the conference is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Widely credited for the “Republican Revolution” of 1994 ” in which the party took control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years ” Mr. Gingrich will present an updated version of his “Contract with America” on Saturday morning.
“Activists gathering this week are very optimistic about having come through a very successful election,” Mr. Keene said. “They worked hard for the re-election of President Bush, and they like the fact that he is already prepared to fight for domestic spending restraint.”
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