From Michael Tomasky's politics blog in The Guardian, a major newspaper in the UK:
"There's this group called CPAC, the conservative political action committee, and it sponsors a lot of the political dog'n'pony shows on the right. They're doing one later this month in Washington. Several of 2008's presidential also-rans are showing up to kiss various rings, and a presidential straw poll for 2012 will even be taken there. It's a big deal.
But guess who won't be there:
(CNN) — Sarah Palin will not be attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington later this month, her office confirmed to CNN Tuesday.
Official reason: The Alaska state legislature will be in session and she'll be too inundated with responsibilities in Anchorage. Probable real reason: She has more to lose than the others if she doesn't win this straw poll, by simple dint of the fact that she's a celebrity and it would make bigger headlines across the country. This in turn may mean that someone has done a very preliminary nose count for her and decided things looked a tad risky, which in its own turns suggests divided opinion about her on the right.
But who pays attention to straw polls about the next presidential election just a month after the new president has taken office? I ought to have my head examined."
(have you noticed Michael wrote SP will be in Anchorage? Everybody abroad thinks the capital of Alaska IS Anchorage. I wonder why...)
Michael's blog, if you'd like to read more of his stuff. There's more about Palin in the Guardian here.
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