Bush a four-letter word at CPAC

Andy Barr Andy Barr – Sat Feb 28, 7:01 am ET

Conservatives aren’t sure who’s the Republican presidential frontrunner in 2012. They disagree over how sharply to attack President Barack Obama and on the question of whether a back-to-basics approach is the path back to majority.

But if there’s one thing those attending the annual Conservative Political Action Conference this week agree on, it is this: They don’t want another George W. Bush.

Few come out right out and say it, but they don’t have to. There’s no nostalgia for the past eight years, no tributes to Bush and no sessions dedicated to exploring his presidency.

Indeed, for a president who publicly embraced conservative principles, there is little evidence that the movement returns the sentiment.

When the subject of the 43rd president has come up at CPAC — where he spoke each year of his presidency — it’s usually been in an unflattering context.

Conservative icon Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker, railed against the “Bush-Obama continuity in economic policyâ€