HOUSTON (AP) -- Texas Gov. George W. Bush is a no-show at the annual National Council of La Raza conference. But that doesn't mean the GOP presidential front-runner has been forgotten here.

Even though Sen. John McCain did show up and addressed the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights advocacy group, questions about Bush's absence dominated the talk around the George Brown Convention Center."We are disappointed," La Raza President Raul Yzaguirre said Monday. "If he's taking us for granted, he is misreading our community."

Both Bush and Elizabeth Dole said they had scheduling conflicts. Democrat Bill Bradley also cited a scheduling conflict; Vice President Al Gore is scheduled to speak Wednesday.

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