The Conservative Political Action Conference begins its annual conference today in Washington, DC.
All the Presidential candidates are scheduled to speak. Last year, all the declared candidates at the time spoke; except for John McCain.
McCain enters the conference today looking to make friends. The demographic and makeup of the conference is more grassroot activist than conservative establishment. As the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, McCain will need these people in November.
As Grover Norquist puts it:

"These are people who live, breathe and eat politic. Will they walk out of the room saying 'I will spend the next several months of my life getting this guy elected' or 'I think I'll play tennis this summer'?"

McCain must also mind his larger audience. The Chesapeake Bay area holds its primaries next week, and McCain's remarks will make the front page of every major newspaper in the area.
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