Sarah Palin plans Lakewood appearance, will keynote CCU military tribute

LAKEWOOD – Sarah Palin will be the keynote speaker at Colorado Christian University’s May 2 military and veterans appreciation rally and charity benefit, the University announced Monday.

Palin, one of the front-runners in polls gauging the popularity of potential Republican presidential nominees in 2012, has not announced whether she will enter the race to unseat President Barack Obama, but has yet to say whether she will seek her party’s nomination.

The former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential nominee will be the lead speaker for CCU’s “Tribute to the Troops with Sarah Palin” at the school’s Lakewood campus.

“Knowing how strongly Gov. Palin supports our armed forces, we are pleased to extend CCU’s hospitality to her,” said John Andrews, director of CCU’s Centennial Institute, a conservative think tank.

Palin’s son Track, served in the Army and was deployed to Iraq in 2008-09.

The May 2 rally and benefit also will also feature retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin as well “as cameos with members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard,” Andrews said. CCU’s faculty and student body include a number of veterans and a contingent of Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets.

The program, at CCU’s Events Center, is open to the public. Tickets are $25 and the proceeds will benefit the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which helps families of fallen soldiers.

The 1000-seat venue is expected to sell out quickly, according to a school spokesman and folks planning to attend are urged to visit www.ccu.edu/tribute for reservations and further information.

Palin apparently is choosing the CCU event over the first nationally televised debate among the Republican contenders for the 2012 presidential nomination. NBC TV and POLITICO have set their first debate of the season for that date.

And Palin’s Lakewood speech apparently fills a blank spot on her schedule left by a cancellation of a previously planned appearance by John McCain’s former running mate in Denver. The Pacheco Foundation, which also aids military families, last month canceled an appearance by Palin, who had agreed to speak at the foundation’s fund-raiser at the foundation’s Patriots & Warriors Gala at the Infinity Park Event Center in Glendale, in May.

A statement by the Pacheco Foundation said organizers canceled the event, citing an “increase in negative rhetoric” targeting Palin after contentious 2010 congressional campaigns and the Jan. 8 shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and the accompanying bloodshed that claimed six lives and wounded 12 others in Tucson.

Palin played a major role in the 2010 General Election and specifically opposed Giffords’ re-election.