There's also usually a black hat contingent at most mainstream security conferences. Since information security and hacking are two sides of the same coin, many hackers go to security conferences and many security professionals go to hacker events -- neither community seems to mind.
Since all ICANN decisions are subject to approval by the U.S. Department of Commerce, President Bush can ultimately decide whether or not to allow that change to proceed. No other country has that level of voice in the process.