Ken Buck: Sarah Palin Is 'Rude' For Timing Speech After GOP Convention

UPDATE: Buck spokesman Owen Loftus is now saying that Buck did not call Palin 'rude' for simply scheduling a speech on the same day as the state convention. Rather, he was referring to a hypothetical question posed about whether Palin would endorse Norton on that day:

"Ken never said Sarah Palin was rude for coming to Denver on the night of the convention. He actually has a ticket for that event and he's been looking forward to attending it for several weeks. What he said was rude was if Sarah Palin or anyone else came to town to have an event that directly conflicted with the state party while we have thousands of grassroots activists in our base who worked hard to get elected to choose their candidates for a host of other offices."

The Denver Post also reports that Palin has had the date booked for many months.

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The week after conservative icon Sarah Palin praised Colorado senate candidate Jane Norton, Norton's opponent, Ken Buck, called Palin "rude" for scheduling an appearance the day of the state Republican convention.

Speaking to a crowd in Steamboat, Colorado, Buck said that it was rude of Palin, the former Alaska Governor and Vice-Presidential nominee, to plan a speech in Denver on Saturday. The Colorado Republican Party will select candidates to appear on the primary ballot in Loveland that day.

Norton, once considered a heavy favorite to secure the GOP nomination, announced in April that she would petition her way onto the primary ballot, rather than work to secure the minimum 30% of Republican delegates at the state convention.

This announcement came a month after Norton narrowly lost to Buck in the party caucuses despite vastly outspending him.

Last week, at a fundraiser for the Susan B. Anthony's list foundation, Palin praised Norton as a "commonsense, conservative woman."