Is Dirty Harry headed to Tampa? The Republican National Convention is a carefully planned and orchestrated event that began on Monday and will officially adjourn Thursday evening. With so little left up to chance, the media has fixated on reports that a "mystery speaker" will take the podium before Republican nominee Mitt Romney makes his speech. Sources have come forward claiming that actor/director Clint Eastwood will be the surprise guest, a decision that if true, may draw mixed reviews from the conservative crowd.
Buzz over the possibility of an announced speech began on Monday, when according to Fox News Insider, convention officials released a revised schedule that included a “TBA” speaker slotted between singer Taylor Hicks's performance and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's speech.
At 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, political blog Townhall reported that a "well-placed Republican source" claimed it was indeed the Oscar-winning Eastwood who would be appearing. FoxNews.com followed up with its own anonymous source, who confirmed for the outlet that Eastwood was on the program.
The 82-year-old Hollywood star has been involved with politics for many years, including acting as the mayor of Carmel, California from 1986 to 1988. Eastwood campaigned for Republican John McCain in 2008, and then formally endorsed Mitt Romney earlier this month at a pricey fundraising event in Idaho, ABC News reported.
But the actor also starred in a controversial Super Bowl ad spot in February that was blasted by some leading conservatives including Karl Rove, and led some to believe Eastwood was secretly an Obama fan. Eastwood was forced to go on the record with Fox's Bill O'Reilly to dispel rumors that he was in some way affiliated with the President's campaign.
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