Kerry to Speak at NAACP Meeting; Bush Declines
PHILADELPHIA — President Bush declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP’s annual convention, the group said.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People expects more than 8,000 people to attend the convention opening Saturday.
Democratic challenger John F. Kerry accepted an invitation to speak next Thursday, the final day of the convention, the NAACP said.
Bush spoke at the 2000 NAACP convention in Baltimore when he was a candidate. He has declined invitations to speak in each year of his presidency, the first president since Herbert Hoover not to attend an NAACP convention, said John White, a spokesman for the group.
The NAACP received a letter from the White House three weeks ago declining the invitation because of scheduling conflicts and thanking it for understanding.
The letter was signed by presidential scheduler Melissa Bennett.
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