The Gridiron Club dinner was once the can’t-miss event of the Washington season. But the annual roast — which brings together the elite of politics and journalism — is no longer the only dinner that matters to the A-list.

For the first time since the Jimmy Carter era, neither the president nor the vice president will attend. Barack Obama will be on an overseas trip and aides say Joe Biden will be a no-show, leaving Bill Clinton to headline the white-tie dinner on March 20.

Nancy Pelosi will be skipping the dinner, as will Hillary Clinton, Timothy Geithner and Janet Napolitano. Rahm Emanuel is also missing the dinner to attend an event for one of his children.

Even Sarah Palin — a headliner of the 2009 dinner — turned down an invitation.

More @ Politico.com

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Very interesting!