Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is in the program as the keynote speaker for tonight's banquet at the Washington GOP convention.

But the keynote speaker is going to look a lot like convention star Dino Rossi...

...because it will be Rossi. Otter has cancelled.

State GOP officials mentioned the switcheroo at the close of convention business early Friday afternoon. Otter had cancelled, but was supposedly sending a spokesman with a letter.

Rossi, who had already given his scheduled 10-minute address to the full convention (it actually clocked in at about 15 minutes, but who's counting) would pitch hit.

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who also spoke to the convention in the morning, will also take to the mike.

Idaho Bureau Chief Betsy Russell tracked down the reason, and discovered Otter has a more important audience. Or at least it's one that the assembled Republicans in Spokane can't feel slighted by.

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