Conservative Honcho Revels in Bush Departure

The chairman of the American Conservative Union slammed former President George W. Bush's record on government spending and urged his fellow conservatives to return to small-government principles.

In this file photo, David Keene, left, chairman of the American Conservative Union, gestures as he...

In this file photo, David Keene, left, chairman of the American Conservative Union, gestures as he introduces President Bush to their 40th anniversary gala in Washington. In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Keene said that the Republican Party could now move on from George W. Bush.

(AP Photo)

"What the public rejected in 2008 was incompetence," ACU chairman David Keene, the chief organizer of the Conservative Political Action Conference, which is getting underway later this week, said in a speech Tuesday. "[The Obama campaign] ran against Republican performance, not conservative ideas."

Keene's speech, which he dubbed "the state of conservatism," was delivered at the National Press Club at a time when the Republican Party is engaged in a fierce debate over how to redefine itself after having been removed from power on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

In years past, candidates hoping to appeal to the GOP's base in a future Republican nominating contest have used CPAC to test political themes and generate buzz.

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Possible 2012 Republican presidential prospects addressing this year's CPAC include Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was also invited to address CPAC, but she is skipping it to tend to business in her home state.

"She has her problems in Alaska," Keene said. "The two leading candidates in 2012 right now are Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Sarah Palin of Alaska. They each have a problem. Romney doesn't have a job, which means he doesn't have a platform. Palin's problem is that she has a job that's 5,000 miles away."

Also skipping CPAC is Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the Republican who gave the GOP's response to President Barack Obama's address to Congress Tuesday night.

"We get more invites than we can accept," Jindal spokesman Kyle Plotkin said.

The ACU chair said what Republicans need in a 2012 nominee is someone who can unite economic, national security, and social conservatives. He says the party was not able to find such a candidate in 2008 and suffered because of it.