How would you like to sign up to be wined and dined by host committees across the country, 
anxious to have a shot at attracting the 2008 Republican National Convention to their city? Fluffy pillows, champagne, rare vintage wines, sumptuous meals (like the one pictured) are sure to be had by the nine lucky members of the RNC’s 2008 Site Selection Committee.
Wining, dining, and resorting on behalf of Republicans from the Western States will be none other than California’s National Committeewoman, Barbara Alby. Formerly a member of the State Assembly, Alby is now Chief of Staff to Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard.
Actually, for this upcoming convention, this committee will actually have more of a role to play than four years ago. For the 2004 convention in New York, the selection was more or less made by the incumbent Republican President seeking re-election. This go-around, though, we may not know who the nominee will be until much later than commitments must be made to a host city.
Congratulations, Barbara, on your election to this esteemed group of nine. Our first challenge for you: when the criteria are developed for these cities to
place bids, the RNC, on principle, should reject any public funding or tax breaks (defacto public funding) from any bidder. While we would hope that any city "Republican" enough to want to host hoardes of tipsy Republicans would be run by conservatives that would find using tax dollars this way a travesty, setting it out in the bidding criteria will make it a certainty!
Check out the post from the articulate and anonymous Silence DoGood over at the OCBlog, for some thoughts on how this might involve Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, who has made no secret of his quest to bring this convention to Anaheim