Palin Wades Into CPAC / GOProud Controversy

Guy Benson | February 08, 2011 9:56 AM

Unless I'm misinterpreting Governor Palin's answer below, she appears to be advancing a very tepid, cautious defense of GOProud's inclusion at CPAC:

In Summary --

Point 1: I'm not skipping CPAC this year because of this flare up. Point 2: Let's have an open and fair discussion about thorny issues within the movement, rather than selectively shutting certain elements out.

Palin's diplomatic answer puts her at odds with a number of social conservative leaders -- who are often her strongest champions. Some are now demanding that she explain herself, scoffing that surely she wouldn't support permitting a socialist group to co-sponsor CPAC in the name of 'healthy debate.' Allahpundit serves up a compelling rebuttal to that loaded comparison:

That’s a clever move rhetorically, but it conflates a phony debate with a real one. When you’ve got conservatives as prominent as Dick Cheney and Ted Olson in favor of gay marriage, when you’ve got even a majority of Republicans in favor of letting gay troops serve openly, then you’ve got a difference of opinion within the conservative tent that’s worth exploring. That’s really all Palin was saying to Brody, I take it. “Traditional marriage” advocates want to play the “no true Scotsman” game in order to rule this issue out of bounds, but it’s too late for that. The gay-marriage debate is here and it’s happening, even within the conservative tent, which I assume is why Palin’s okay with GOProud’s CPAC sponsorship notwithstanding her own support for a Federal Marriage Amendment.

Another intriguing question is whether this debate is a flash in the pan, or if it promises to morph into a protracted stalemate. At this point, it's hard to imagine GOProud being excluded from future CPAC gatherings, so are the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, Jim DeMint, et al prepared to sever ties altogether, or are they simply making a point this year?