Conservatives Gather in Alexandria

W A S H I N G T O N, Jan 30 -- The weekend after President Bush set out his goals for the year in politics and policy, more than 1,000 top conservative activists will caucus to discuss how best they can help him sell it. (They might also ask: why isn't he here?)

The 29th annual CPAC — the Conservative Political Action Conference — kicks off today in Alexandria, Va. CPAC has history. Founded by the American Conservative Union in 1973, it helped to launch Ronald Reagan to national prominence. In the years since, it's helped to bullet-point the year ahead for conservative activism.

Energetic conservatives of all stripes love CPAC. It's a chance to network, to exchange talking points, to collect pins, buttons, signs, and literature, and return to their home districts or colleges with a renewed sense of the big M — Movement.

For college Republicans, it's a chance to see old friends and tear up hotel rooms as only college politicos can. (So we hear).

This year's big guests include National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, who will give a short speech at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, and budget guru Mitch Daniels will give an ode to Ronald Reagan on Friday night. Elizabeth Dole will introduce North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, whom she hopes to replace, at a banquet Thursday night. And Lynn Cheney will speak at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

CPAC announced last week that Mrs. Cheney, who has attended the conference before, will give the keynote address. Even before her husband became vice president, Cheney was a favored guest. She has all the right credentials — a doctorate in English and a resume of presidential appointments and her philosophy is pro-tradition, pro-canon, and anti-radical. As the vice president's wife, Cheney (a frequent "on the right" in the heydays of Crossfire) has already jumped into the fray, and she'll probably serve enough red meat to keep the laity from focusing on who is not at the event — President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Attorney General John Ashcroft, and Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld — the top "invited guests" on the literature. A CPAC spokesperson today downplayed the possibility of a surprise visit.