Ron Paul - John Beale

Ron Paul, the champion of the Constitution, was a man who needed no introduction at CPAC 2009. To numerous standing ovations, Paul delivered his message of liberty, sound money, limited government, drastically reduced taxation, free trade, and a return to the constitutional republic the founders intended. The 10-term Congressman from Texas spoke twice at CPAC: once to the general assembly and again for his core Campaign for Liberty supporters. Paul’s constitutional message was refreshing to hear after 8 years of George W Bush’s neoconservative politics and after the election of Barack Obama, who this writer feels is practically a communist. Forgive the injection of opinion, but I firmly feel that Ron Paul is THE MAN.

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Rush Limbaugh - Brad DeFlumeri

Conservative provocateur Rush Limbaugh was in fine form at Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2009.  Limbaugh, the event’s keynote speaker, ended the three-day conference with a speech that stirred up the intellectual juices of the young conservatives in attendance. Rush declared his steadfast dedication to liberty and to protecting the principles upon which our country’s greatness was built, even if that means hoping for the policy failure of our socialist president.  In Limbaugh’s words, failure by President Obama would mean vindication of the limited government, personal responsibility, liberty-enshrining and Constitution-respecting fundamentals that have made our country the world’s greatest and freest, an eminent cradle of opportunity and freedom, and a place to where those seeking a better life free from political and religious oppression continually flock.

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Ann Coulter - Greg Collins

Love her, or hate her?
Ann Coulter, bestselling author and witty polemic, gave a rousing speech – no, comedy routine – at CPAC in 2009. Spanning issues such as Barack Obama’s very liberal policies, the media’s fascination with him, and, of course, the requisite Bill Clinton jokes, Coulter spoke to a packed audience in the Regency Ballroom. While her comments at times are justifiably controversial, Coulter exposes liberal hypocrisy that the mainstream media just does not have the courage to report. 
And her funniest quote of the night? “80% of the German people supported Obama over McCain. And we all know how infallible the Germans are at picking great leaders.”

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Mike Huckabee - Eric Magazu

Former Governor of Arkansas and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spoke of his experiences on the campaign trail during his speech at CPAC 2009. He responded to internecine accusations that he was too populist to be a conservative candidate by pointing out that his opposition to corporate bonuses was not due to socialist tendencies, but his desire to protect the taxpayers. He outlined his opposition to the bailout, and urged conservatives to remain united as three legs of a stool, that is to say, as social, economic and foreign policy conservatives.

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Mitt Romney - Colli McKiernan

Former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, offered the concluding speech on the second day of CPAC. Speaking to an enraptured and lively audience, Governor Romney focused on the economy and on personal responsibility; Romney gave a call to order to conservatives – we must push forward our ideals and not accept the social welfare programs being proposed by President Obama. Governor Romney’s address offered hope to me and other Republicans around the country, declaring that conservatism is not dead and that our party will prosper in the years to come; for, “we want America to succeed, no matter who is in power.”

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John Bolton - Alana Goodman

At this year’s CPAC, illustrious Conservative and former UN Ambassador John Bolton addressed the disastrous foreign policy under President Obama, the importance of remaining an ally to Israel, and the dangers of a nuclear Iran. Bolton was tough in his denouncement of the Obama administration and passionate in his support for Israel and free, democratic countries everywhere. “For those who felt an Obama administration would be friendly to Israel, it’s wake-up time,” Bolton told the crowd. Bolton proved to be even more outspoken in his defense of conservative ideals than he was during his tenure under President Bush. “President Obama is the most radical president we have ever elected in this country. That’s the bad news,” said Bolton. “Here’s the good news: if we get our act together, he is a one-termer.”