Alex Leary
reports
that the freshman senator from Florida will “bail” on the annual conservative conference, where he made his happy debut to national political reporters last year. It’s not about GOProud, says his office, which is more than Jim DeMint’s office has said about his decision not to go.
The newly-elected lawmaker will be focused on his Senate duties that week then “return to Florida for a working weekend capped off by the Pinellas County Lincoln Day Dinner,” on Feb. 12, spokesman Alex Burgos told the Buzz .
Rather awkwardly, both DeMint and Rubio appear on the CPAC masthead on the conference’s website.
But here, from the online schedule, is a list of elected Republicans or 2012ers who are attending:
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC), Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.), Rep. Rand Paul (R-Ken.), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Sen. John Barasso (R-WY), Gov. Rick Perry (R-Tex.), Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.), Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.), Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty, and Mitt Romney.
And there’s this:
Presentation of Defender of the Constitution Award
Presenter: Brad O’Leary and David A. Keene
Recipient: Hon. Donald Rumsfeld
I believe these awards are named thusly to get a rise out of liberals.
