WASHINGTON — Sarah Palin’s absence from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) may help the conservative gathering focus more on the issues, a policy analyst for a conservative women’s group says.

“She’s a very divisive figure but an interesting one, and one that a lot of conservatives love but some don’t like her as much,” Hadley Heath of the Independent Women’s Forum told 630 WMAL News.

“It’s just a toss-up whether she needs to be there or not,” Heath said. 

Heath says her guess is that the number one issue at CPAC, a three-day event that starts Thursday in the District, will be government spending.

“CPAC is huge,” Heath said.  “We’ll have a booth.  We’ll be reacting with other conservative groups  that comes from all over the country.”