Got Yer CPAC Roundup Right Here

Nick Gillespie | March 5, 2007

The Wash Times summarizes this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, widely touted as the most important annual gathering of right-wing Republicanoids (and the stray libertarian or two):

Michael S. Steele and Newt Gingrich were the biggest stars according to activists who attended the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani pulled off CPAC's biggest coup, former Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III was the biggest surprise, and Ann Coulter was the biggest loser.

Mr. Steele, the former Maryland lieutenant governor -- rejected last fall by the Bush White House for chairmanship of the Republican National Committee (RNC) -- was mobbed by hundreds of attendees wanting their picture taken with him on the dais after he served as master of ceremonies at the Thursday banquet featuring Vice President Dick Cheney and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John R. Bolton.

More here.

Reason's Dave Weigel took some photos here, here, and here. And he links to gotcha video, some of it quite fun, from The Nation's Max Blumenthal, here.

On Saturday morning, I moderated a panel titled The Failure of Fusionism?, which discussed whether libs and cons can still be friends and featured the American Conservative Union Foundation's Donald Devine, Intercollegiate Studies Institute's Daniel McCarthy, and the NY Sun's Ryan Sager.

A brief writeup of that by the Libertarian Party's Joe Magyer is here. And broader thoughts about CPAC and libs and cons (and a pic of the Fusionism panel in action) by the LP's Steve Gordon are here.

Comments

Guy Montag|3.5.07 @ 8:38AM|#

Anybody who is really upset about Ann Coulter's observation on the manner of John Edwards can make themselves feel better by sending the Edwards campaign some "Coulter Cash".

Be sure to prioritize that with your carbon credit penance.

|3.5.07 @ 9:58AM|#

"Mr. Steele, the former Maryland lieutenant governor...was mobbed by hundreds of attendees wanting their picture taken with him on the dais"

Wallet sized "Get Out of Racism Free" cards?

'What? How dare you call me that?!? Look, here's me with Michael Steele!'

dhex|3.5.07 @ 10:00AM|#

joe, that was mean and funny. good job.

|3.5.07 @ 10:22AM|#

I think Michael Steele deserves national office just because of his name.

That Blumenthal video doesn't really do much, I think. He's not very good at gotcha journalism. Certainly no Michael Moore. Michelle Malkin stood her ground and it's not like anyone who supports her idea of interning Muslims is going to find that photo offensive. The Tancredo thing was good though. Questioning Ann Coulter's private life would be fine if it showed some hypocrisy on her part, but she didn't get married, so I don't really get what that has to do with not respecting the sanctity of marriage.

|3.5.07 @ 10:55AM|#

Not getting married is a slap in the face of the sanctity of marriage.

B|3.5.07 @ 12:25PM|#

Heh--Coulter's got as much authority to pontificate about marriage as any celibate priest.

VM|3.5.07 @ 12:57PM|#

"as any celibate priest."

no way. those exist?????

Guy Montag|3.5.07 @ 1:26PM|#

Sounds silly that one must have been married to discuss the institution. I didn't see Ms. Coulter bring that up. Only saw Mr. Weigel do it in defense of pretty-boy John Edwards.

Oh, now I remember the latest PC term for Edwards: Metrosexual. That is the term for a hair fluffing sissy that she should have used, until it gets hijacked by some group too.

It's all fun and games until someone breaks a nail.

|3.5.07 @ 4:14PM|#

Heh--Coulter's got as much authority to pontificate about marriage as any celibate priest.

If only married people can have opinions about marriage, do only gay people get to have opinions about gay marriage?

Guy Montag|3.5.07 @ 7:49PM|#

If only married people can have opinions about marriage, do only gay people get to have opinions about gay marriage?

If we stay as strict as the Left, the only people who can say anything about gay marriage are gay married people.