Declaring Candidacy, McCain Avoids Conservatives

After telling a former comedian he's running for the GOP nomination, John McCain has decided to skip the CPAC this weekend. Not exactly the smartest way to ingrain yourself with the base of the party.

Sponsors of the Conservative Political Action Conference, which begins today in Washington and brings together thousands of conservative leaders and grass-roots activists, say the Arizona Republican has "dissed" organizers by attempting to schedule a private reception for attendees after rejecting invitations to speak at the event.

"It was a classical McCain move, dissing us by going behind our backs," said William J. Lauderback, executive vice president of the American Conservative Union.

Michelle Malkin has much more on CPAC 2007.