Four of the candidates competing for the Republican party’s presidentialnomination gathered in Omaha this weekend at the Midwest RepublicanLeadership Conference which attracted a crowd of 850. All four lashed outat the front-runner in the race, George W. Bush, for refusing the invitationto attend. Alan Keyes said Bush was showing “the utmost contempt” forvoters by refusing to debate the other candidates.Gary Bauer said Bush needs to come out and join the fray.Steve Forbes said Bush isn’t not going to be “annointed” but will eventuallyhave to mix-it-up with his Republican opponents, one-on-one, in debates.Lamar Alexander suggests a “12th Commandment” for Republicans: “Thou ShaltHave a Contest.”A campaign spokesman said Bush declined the invitation to appear in Omaha sohe could spend the weekend with his 17-year-old twin daughters who begantheir Senior year of high school today.
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