WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A secretive group of Christian conservatives emerged from a recent meeting without a clear favorite for U.S. president in 2008, The New York Times said.
The Council for National Policy met at the beginning of the month in a hotel on Florida's Amelia Island.
Some of those who attended the meeting tried to recruit Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina to run for president, the newspaper said. Sanford, who was a guest speaker at the conference, turned them down.
In the 2000 race, Christian conservatives formed a firm alliance with George W. Bush. This year, many of them have doubts about the three leading Republican candidates -- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Three other conservative possibilities -- former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.; and Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas -- have not yet caught fire with Christian conservatives, the Times said.
