Think Progress Fails Video Ambush of Fox News Reporter Jesse Watters

I saw Jesse Watters a couple of times during the conference, but didn't have a chance to speak to him. And I'm just seeing this now, at any rate. From Red State, "Fox reporter embarrasses Think Progress dolt at CPAC." It's really too good:

Rosaleen Tallon at CPAC Ground Zero Mosque Premiere

Okay, some of those in attendance were devastated at the emotional power of the presentations . Folks were weeping. It was quite an event. I'm going to be posting each of the videos individually, so check back later. Here's Rosaleen Tallon, the first speaker after Pamella Geller's introduction. Do yourself a favor and grab a cup of coffee. Powerful stuff:

RELATED: From last night, "CPAC and the Muslim Brotherhood."

Robert Stacy McCain at CPAC!

What would CPAC blogging be without Robert Stacy McCain, the epic schmoozer of the conference?

J.C. Penney's Black Hat Search Scheme on Google

I'd call it a search strategy, but J.C. Penney denies any knowledge of this Google link-bait scheme. Either way, read the whole thing, at NYT, "Search Optimization and Its Dirty Secrets":

Does the collective wisdom of the Web really say that Penney has the most essential site when it comes to dresses? And bedding? And area rugs? And dozens of other words and phrases?

The New York Times asked an expert in online search, Doug Pierce of Blue Fountain Media in New York, to study this question, as well as Penney’s astoundingly strong search-term performance in recent months. What he found suggests that the digital age’s most mundane act, the Google search, often represents layer upon layer of intrigue. And the intrigue starts in the sprawling, subterranean world of “black hat” optimization, the dark art of raising the profile of a Web site with methods that Google considers tantamount to cheating.

Despite the cowboy outlaw connotations, black-hat services are not illegal, but trafficking in them risks the wrath of Google. The company draws a pretty thick line between techniques it considers deceptive and “white hat” approaches, which are offered by hundreds of consulting firms and are legitimate ways to increase a site’s visibility. Penney’s results were derived from methods on the wrong side of that line, says Mr. Pierce. He described the optimization as the most ambitious attempt to game Google’s search results that he has ever seen.

“Actually, it’s the most ambitious attempt I’ve ever heard of,” he said. “This whole thing just blew me away. Especially for such a major brand. You’d think they would have people around them that would know better.”

And check Robert Stacy McCain's post, linking this to blog optimization: "Stupid Google Tricks."

Democrats Spin Victory Out of CPAC

That's Haley Barbour below, during his speech at the Marriott Ballroom. I wasn't really listening all that closely, since it was hard to hear the speeches from the bloggers' lounge. I'm personally not betting on him to be a force in the GOP primaries. Barbour can raise the dough but his attractivness as a national candidate remains to be seen. We could say that about a lot of the Republican presidential hopefuls, and progressives are banking on that.

RELATED: At The Hill, "Democrats Claim Political Victory From CPAC" (via Memeorandum):

Democrats and President Obama gathered the most momentum from this past weekend's gathering of conservative activists, the party claimed Monday.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) sought to spin the now-concluded Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in their own favor, releasing a web video framing the Republicans who spoke at CPAC -- including a number of possible presidential candidates -- as focused on issues from the past.

"The biggest winners coming out of CPAC were Democrats and the president, as it is clear, based on the presentations there, that Republicans have no message and nothing to offer the public accept re-fighting the political and legislative battles - battles they have already lost," DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse wrote in an email about the new video.

More at the link and CNN:

Ann Coulter on GOProud

Background here, from Rick Moran, "CPAC Boycott by Social Cons Uncovers the Right’s ‘Gay Problem’."

Now, I read this in the hard-copy of Human Events, "In honor of the gays who have come out of the closet as Republicans to be one of the 140 sponsors of CPAC 2011, I thought I'd run one of the interviews I gave before speaking to GOProud last September ..."

Can you lay out your stance on marriage equality (Prop 8, DOMA) and DADT?

I'm against gay marriage, but that's no offense to gays. It is just in defense of a crucial linchpin of civilization that's already hanging by a thread.

Are gay rights part and parcel with basic conservatism? If so, why are so many elected Republicans so skittish/unsupportive about the subject? If not, tell me why.

No, we don't generally care for identity politics of any sort, much less hearing about people's sex lives, even Nino Scalia's. (And judging by the number of children he has, it's pretty active.) Conservatives believe in individual rights, low tax rates, fighting terrorism and punishing criminals -- so do gays! They also happen to believe Judy Garland was the most underappreciated and misunderstood person in the history of show business. I don't think most gays care about gay marriage; they like going to the gay marriage meeting because it's a good way to meet other gays.

Hey, what gay problem? Coulter's the best!

More at the link.

RELATED: At Marooned in Marin, "CPAC 2011 - Wrap Up."

Congressman Allen West Visits CPAC Bloggers

From Midnight Blue:

CPAC and the Muslim Brotherhood

Okay, following up from this morning's entry, check the link for full video: "David Horowitz Gives Barnburner at CPAC!" And the transcript is here: "The Muslim Brotherhood Inside the Conservative Movement."

Now it turns out the Muslim Brotherhood debate is becoming one of the bigger stories to emerge from CPAC. Politico covers it from the MFM angle, "Right Fractures Over Islam" (at Memeorandum).

While a gay rights controversy drew headlines at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, another — and even more bitter — dispute rippled as views varied widely on how to reconcile the conservative movement with Islam in the United States.

At the 38th annual conservative gathering, there was no shortage of accusations of Islamist sympathies, Muslim Brotherhood infiltration and charges of fear-mongering. Republican presidential hopefuls, including Newt Gingrich and John Thune, also drew applause with suggestions that the Obama administration has taken a politically correct blind eye to the connection between radical Islam and terrorism.

Freshman Rep. Allen West also drew thunderous applause in his keynote speech about the threat to America posed by Islam and other security threats. And as Republican candidates define their national security stands in the 2012 elections, conservative discomfort with Islam in America will be a feature of the debate.

“We are also faced at home and abroad with a mortal threat in political Islam,” conservative activist David Horowitz said in his address to the conference. “Political Islam is a totalitarian movement that seeks to impose Islamic law on the entire world through the seizure of states by stealth and electoral means where possible and by terror where necessary and sometimes by a combination of the two. There are hundreds of millions of believers in political Islam.”

CPAC organizers held an official panel on the threat of sharia law, with several other affiliated, but unofficial, events on inclusion, religious liberty and the so-called ground zero mosque controversy, featuring the controversial blogger Pam Geller and Jihad Watch’s Robert Spencer.

“Sometimes when you hear snide comments about Jews in the ’50s or Muslims today — we’ve been through this. The Republican party chased away the Catholic vote for over a hundred years,” said Grover Norquist, an ACU board member and a tax activist who has tried to bring Muslim voters in to the GOP for more than a decade. “You chase away people politically. The thing about the political effects of bigotry — it can last generations. It’s tough to fix.”

Be sure to RTWT.

When I was a young man, the name Grover Norquist was awe-inspiring. Now it's just pathetic. The dude married Kuwaiti-born Samaah Alrayyes, an Muslim outreach specialist at USAID. Gee, no wonder Grover wants to tamp down criticism of jihad as "Islamophobic." And no wonder the Soros-funded Islamo-appeasing Think Progress is on the case, "Frank Gaffney Braves Muslim Brotherhood Infiltration To Warn CPAC About Grover Norquist."

And that's not all, Horowitz has an update at NewsReal, a response to the left's hysterics, "The Muslim Brotherhood and the Fellow Traveling Left at Slate":

Yesterday morning I gave a speech at CPAC warning of the dangers posed by the infiltration of the conservative movement by the Muslim Brotherhood in the person of Suhail Khan and his sponsor Grover Norquist. Both Khan and Norquist are board members of the American Conservative Union, and both spoke at CPAC. The facts about Norquist and Khan which I discussed in my speech were taken from an elaborate dossier presented to the board of the American Conservative Union and posted on Frontpagemag.com. This morning SLATE, which is published by the Washington Post, rose to the defense of Khan. This was reminiscent of the past when liberals defended the Soviet spy Alger Hiss and attacked conservatives like Richard Nixon who were attempting to expose Hiss — a parallel I mentioned in my speech ...

In my speech I made the specific charge that Suhail Khan was a protege of his father and of the convicted terrorist Abdurahman Alamoudi ... I also charged tht Suhail Khan, along with his patron Grover Norquist, was instrumental in getting President Bush to agree to ban the use of secret evidence in trials of terrorists. This was a campaign launched by the terrorist Sami al-Arian (whose brother, also a member of Palestine Islamic Jihad, was deported on the strength of secret evidence.) Grover Norquist and Suhail used their influence to get al-Arian a face-to-face with George W. Bush who then attacked the use of secret evidence in his campaign and was about to implement al-Arian’s proposed ban when 9/11 took place. Al-Arian who, as the head of PIJ in North America, and its chief financier was responsible for the suicide murders of over 100 people in the Middle East,was also supported in this campaign by the ACLU, The Nation magazine and the American Left. (The ACLU was also one of his chief defenders when he was indicted for terrorist activities and eventually deported.) Suhail Khan has no response to these (or any other) facts because they are true.

For the record, Palestine Islamic Jihad is an umbrella group of Muslim organizations committed to the destruction of Israel. And again, duh, it's no surprise why progressives want to bury the details of the Muslim Brotherhood in America. CPAC basically had its own Green-Red alliance working the wings. Seriously. Here's the video of Suhail Khan's bald-face lie at CPAC, "There is no Muslim Brotherhood in America":

God, can he get any worse. David Horowitz outlined all the evidence during his speech. But see Andy McCarthy for good measure, "Unindicted Coconspirators."

And check Politico one more time. Suhail Khan has a standard line attempted to defuse the criticism: "Pam Geller, Robert Spencer — they’re not part of the conservative movement." Project much, Mr. Kahn?

And here's Pamela, during the Q & A on Friday, "There are 12,000 people that come to this event that don't know they've been completely sold out by CPAC leadership":

I'll have more later ...

David Horowitz Gives Barnburner at CPAC!

I should be flying back home when this post goes live. I've got a lot more reporting and stories to tell from CPAC. Anyway, I moved out from the lounge to the balcony to listen to Horowitz's speech. You won't be hearing much of this in the mainstream press (MFM):

Also at Pamela's, "'Pamela Geller Versus CPAC'."

And check David Weigel's report, "CPAC 2011: Suhail Khan Responds to David Horowitz."

Lots more later, pictures, commentary, gossip ... the whole bang!

Until then!

VIDEO: Congressman Allen West Keynote Speech at CPAC

At Marathon Pundit, "Allen West closes out CPAC, calls for "The dawn of a New America."

And previously, a photo opportunity with Congressman West. A very nice man, and a privilege to meet him.

Lincoln's Birthday

President Abraham Lincoln was born today, 202 years ago, February 12, 1809.

I imagine it's fitting, then, that I walked the Washington Mall yesterday morning, from Capitol Hill to Lincoln's Memorial. I think that's my favorite place to be in the whole United States. Perhaps I'd tire of it should I be living in D.C., but being here fills me with pride and historical grandeur. I'll have more sightseeing pictures later. I spent just a few minutes at the memorial, but it is indeed a temple:

I'll have more from the Mall after I'm home in the O.C.

Ron Paul Is No. 1 for 2012 in CPAC Straw Poll

At NYT, "At Conservative Gathering, Ron Paul Is No. 1 for 2012":

WASHINGTON — With the Republican presidential campaign poised to open, conservative activists signaled on Saturday that they were unsettled over who should win the party’s nomination, indicating a wide-open race for the right to challenge President Obama.

For three days, prospective Republican presidential contenders delivered speeches at the Conservative Political Action Conference here, introducing themselves to influential figures who will help choose the nominee. The results of a straw poll on Saturday underscored the fluidity of the field.

Representative Ron Paul of Texas won the poll for the second year in a row, and Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, took second place. The results reflected the challenges that lie ahead for Republicans as they weigh arguments of electability over ideology and try to unite the party to defeat Mr. Obama.

Mr. Paul received 30 percent of the vote, and Mr. Romney won 23 percent. The rest of the potential contenders finished in single digits, including Sarah Palin, who declined an invitation to speak here; she received support from only 3 percent of the poll’s voters.

Organizers said that more than 10,000 people from across the country attended the conference, but only 3,742 of them participated in the straw poll, the results of which offer little indication of which candidate will emerge to take on the president. The tepid showing of many of the candidates underscored the problems they face as they seek to introduce themselves to Republican primary voters. The conference is intended to allow candidates to test the themes of their prospective candidacy.

There more at the link, but see Politico, "YAF kicks out Ron Paul."

I was up in the bloggers' lounge when the YAF folks started handing flyers with the announcement. The Paulbots make CPAC seem like a circus, or at least more so than would normally be the case at an event this large. Lots more at Memeorandum.

BONUS: David Weigel, "Two Pauls Are Better Than One: Father and son Ron and Rand Paul wow the crowd at CPAC." And, "CPAC 2011: The Straw Poll Aftermath."

VIDEO: Ann Coulter's Speech at CPAC

Here's the Chris Christie segment (via Freedom's Lighthouse):

Plus, Allahpundit has full video and commentary, "Coulter at CPAC: If we don’t run Chris Christie, Romney will be the nominee — and he’ll lose." And at The Hill, "Coulter: Nominate Christie, because Romney will lose":

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter warned activists Saturday that if the party nominates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012, President Obama will win reelection.

Asked in a Q&A session after a bombastic speech at CPAC what she thought of the 2012 field of hopefuls, Coulter initially hesitated, but went on to essentially deliver an endorsement of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

"If you don't run Chris Christie, Romney will be the nominee and we'll lose," said Coulter, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

"By the way," she added, "I warned you about McCain."

Coulter didn't mention any other rumored 2012 contender by name, but said most of them are "good in the positions they're in now."

More at the link (via Memeorandum).

I'll have some more Coulter pics later.

Congressman Allan West at CPAC!

Rep. Allen West stopped by the bloggers' lounge before heading out to deliver the keynote address for CPAC 2011.

Robert Stacy McCain performed the introductions:

I'm listening to the speech right now.

Updates coming ...

Andrew Breitbart at CPAC!

This was my first chance to listen to him. He's definitely hot property at the convention. Here's Andrew during his speech this morning at the Marriott balloom.

Andrew was on a roll, as usual. Jillian Rayfield of Talking Points Memo was not amused: "Breitbart: Code Pink Protestors Used To Be 'Kind Of Slutty,' Now They're 'Long In The Tooth'":

In his rambling CPAC speech today, Andrew Breitbart described how he has enjoyed going to progressive rallies and peppering the protesters with questions. But, he said, the women of the anti-war group Code Pink are "tedious at this point" because they used to be "kinda slutty lefties," but "they're getting long in the tooth."

"I don't know why I decided to make my career trying to destroy the institutional left. I thought that would be a fun thing to do," he said at the opening of his remarks. He described how he's found that the people in protests "are not individuals. They've been community organized."

"They're not Americans," Breitbart said later. "They're animals."

Breitbart went on to describe how a "collusion" has developed between the SEIU, OFA, Acorn, and the Obama Administration. "The President is using these thugs," he said.

"It's vulgar to think that the President" has "his fingerprints all over" protest groups, Breitbart said, also noting that "at the end of the day a lot of them are just overacting extras."

He came up to the bloggers' lounge a bit later, and conservatives swarmed around to listen. Andrew quipped, "That wasn't the speech I planned to give." He then proceeded to recount the epic significance of the Pigford scandal:

And he's with Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit and John Hawkins of Right Wing News:

I spoke with him for a couple of minutes. We've met before, but he's a superstar now. He mentioned he might be interested in expanding the coverage at Big Government et al. to colleges and universities. I said, "Hey, I'm your man there":

VIDEO HAT TIP: Marooned in Marin,"Breitbart at CPAC: The Left Is Being Organized By The President Against The Mass ."

Ron Paul's Speech at CPAC

I'm hardly a fan of Ron Paul, but no doubt he's a top CPAC newsmaker.

The Hill has a report, "Ron Paul slams Patriot Act, backers drown out jeers at conference." And the big theme at USA Today, "Ron Paul: U.S. ‘propped up’ Mubarak in Egypt." (Via Memeorandum.)

In any case, listen to it. The guy's a crank, IMHO. And from the comments at Gateway Pundit:

When will this guy just go away? His looney followers are what make me hate the guy. They are worse than Obamabots.

Well, his loony followers make it easier to hate the guy, but Ron Paul's a clown all by himself.

BONUS: More coverage, with a lovely photograph of Mary Katharine and myself: "Mary Katharine Ham Covers Mitch Daniels' Speech at CPAC."

More later ...

Mary Katharine Ham Covers Mitch Daniels' Speech at CPAC

Very few bloggers were at the lounge Friday night. Seemed strange after being packed like sardines on Thursday. The big evening event was the Ronald Reagan Banquet, and it was a humdinger. Phyllis Schlafly was emcee. And George Will was on hand. He introduced Governor Mitchell Daniels. I'll post some pics later. But Mary Katherine Ham was in the house, and she reports: "Full Text: Mitch Daniels’ Speech to CPAC." And the video's at Hot Air, "Mitch Daniels’s Speech at CPAC." And from Hotline on Call, "Daniels to CPACers: Don't Be 'Suicide Bombers'":

In a speech that appeared aimed directly at conservatives wary of his stance on social issues, Indiana Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels bluntly warned participants at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday against spurning candidates and issues capable of attracting broad public support.

"Purity in martyrdom is for suicide bombers," said Daniels, whose potential 2012 presidential candidacy has been defined by his critique of the some of his party's most ardent activists. He also called not-so-subtly for a shift in the party's political tone.

"I submit that, as we ask Americans to join us on such a boldly different course," Daniels said, "it would help if they liked us, just a bit."

Daniels' speech was markedly different than those given at the conference by other prospective GOP presidential candidates, who mostly struck to red meat for the party's base. Though the governor did take a few early jabs at President Obama, he seemed less interested in catering to his than in challenging to reach beyond its orthodoxy "to unify America, or enough of it, to demand and sustain the big change we propose."

Some conservatives have criticized Daniels for calling for a GOP "truce" on social issues so it can focus the party can focus on the economy. Daniels never referenced the controversy directly in his speech, but he did say the party must attract supporters who aren't plugged into politics or conservative commentary.

"We must be the vanguard of recovery, but we cannot do it alone," he told a packed house in an after-dinner talk. "We have learned in Indiana, big change requires big majorities. We still need people who never tune in to Rush or Glenn or Laura or Sean," Daniels said, referring to talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity. "Who surf past C-SPAN to get to SportsCenter."

More at the link.

And check back for updates. Meanwhile, at New York Times, "At Conference, G.O.P. Hopefuls Offer Criticism of All Things Obama."

Ground Zero Mosque Documentary Preview

That's Pamela taking questions after Friday's panel, "The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks." The event featured a brief 10-minute screening and a panel discussion. The entire film will screen today. As she notes:

On Saturday the entire film will be screened at Citizens United’s CPAC Theater – Delaware Ballroom: the World Premiere of the AFDI/SIOA documentary film on the Ground Zero Mosque.

More on this later ...

Meanwhile, from Ed Morrissey, "Video: 9/11 families visit CPAC to protest the Ground Zero Mosque."

Ann Coulter at CPAC

I missed the Sarah Palin impersonator, but Ann Coulter looked stunning during an interview with Pajamas Television:

Da Tech Guy has more, "Can someone explain to me why people swarmed the Sarah Palin impersonator ..."

Plus, The Other McCain updates, "CPAC Day 2: Into the Scrum" (more here). And Midnight Blue is retiring early for the night, "CPAC Experience: Flu Like Symptoms," and at No Runny Eggs, "CPAC random pics – Day 1."

And for real news, see Hot Air, "Romney supporters at CPAC pitching him as the anti-Palin." And Los Angeles Times, "Pawlenty, Romney bash Obama at CPAC":

On a seeming collision course toward the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney spoke to cheering crowds Friday at the second day of a gathering of the nation's conservatives, blasting President Obama for what they said was his failure to lead on national security and the economy.

While Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, and Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, have not formally declared their intentions, their White House ambitions appear more evident every day.

Romney's wife, Ann, introducing him to the packed house at the Conservative Political Action Conference, came close to an admission, saying that she "hoped" to see her husband elected. And when Romney, who has been on a nationwide tour, said at one point "if I decide to run for president," some in the room chortled.

But neither Pawlenty nor Romney, nor any of the other featured speakers here Friday, which included possible 2012 contenders Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Republican Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, could compete with the rowdy reception given Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas libertarian.

More at the link.

It turns out that Ron Paul rent-a-bots have surged CPAC, apparently sent by the folks at Campaign for Liberty, and perhaps a few other isolationist-style "conservative" outfits.

And there's more: Dave Weigel updates on the gay marriage tussel, "CPAC 2011: Big Ol' Gay Party." He reports on Andrew Breitbart's private party at D.C.'s 18th Street Lounge. Apparently Breitbart's all for the GOP big tent, and he reverted to '80s-era alternative rock to cut loose the jams:

Depeche Mode was played; a fight nearly broke out between two people who were too drunk to explain what they were fighting about; some people were convinced that Dana Loesch, who was wearing leather pants, couldn't have possibly been Dana Loesch, because she was wearing leather pants.

Well, I met Dana Loesch yesterday. Her leather pants were real and fabulous.

Expect updates ...

More CPAC Blogging

While I'm conferencing today (and possibly without an Internet connection), check Goldfish and Clowns, "$2500 to attend CPAC Totally Sucks."

Well, yes, but a bloggers' panel with Dana Loesch takes some pressure off:

And more on yesterday's events, "CPAC Audience Rejects Donald Rumsfeld."

Yet, Secretary Rumsfeld received a warm welcome at the CPAC bloggers' lounge. And I introduced myself:

Also, I took a wonderful picture of Tania and John Ruberry with Rumsfeld as well, and I'll update with that later.