I’m not that surprised by anything that happens among conservatives these days. But an exception is the news that some guy named Mitt Romney will be speaking at CPAC’s 2013 conference next month, at least according to National Review‘s normally well-informed Robert Costa.

Costa says Romney–who is “restless”–wants to offer his pithy views on “economic and fiscal issues,” and thank his 2012 supporters. That’s fine. But I’m shocked the event organizers want him around at an event that’s always about the competition for right-wing leadership in the future. Maybe they were like a dinner party host who doesn’t know what to do when someone uninvited (or invited only as a courtesy with zero expectation of attendance) just shows up at the door. You’d figure the last thing conservatives want to hear right now is another Mitt Romney speech. But maybe he’s so 2012 that he’s already eligible for a nostalgia tour.

Ed Kilgore

Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.