Pawlenty, Bachmann confirmed to speak at CPAC

Two potential GOP presidential contenders from Minnesota have signed on to speak at February’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, both a staple of past CPAC events, will again speak at a  conference that’s never without controversy. Last year, Sarah Palin dropped out, in part, because the John Birch Society was a sponsor. This year, religious right groups are boycotting the event because the gay conservative group GOProud is a sponsor.

Bachmann told Facebook fans on Friday morning that she will be attending:

“I am excited to tell you that I have received and accepted an invitation to speak at CPAC this year. I hope I will have the chance to meet you while I am there. Please let me know if you be attending.”

Bachmann attended the event in 2009 where she said to the new RNC chair, “Michael Steele, you be da man!” and railed against taxation with representation. “I just wondered that if our founders thought taxation without representation was bad, what would they think of representation WITH taxation?”

In 2010, she spoke about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“These are rights that government can never take away from us,” she said. “What does that say about Obama’s thought police and Obama’s speech police. That is not what the founders meant.”

Here’s her 2010 speech:

Pawlenty is also confirmed as a speaker, according to the CPAC website. When he attended in 2009 he praised wife Mary: “I want to acknowledge and thank my beautiful wife, Mary. She’s amazing, she’s fantastic and … she’s hot, absolutely.”

In 2010, he said, “God’s in charge. There are some people who say ‘Pawlenty, don’t bring that up. Its politically incorrect.’ Hogwash! …I say to those naysayers that try to crowd out God from the discussion, if it’s good enough for the founding fathers it’s good enough for us.”

Here’s his 2010 remarks: