Posted on 02/11/2006 12:22:17 AM PST by conservative in nyc
You could find just about everything at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference this week: the bumper sticker that says "Happiness is Hillary's face on a milk carton," the "Straight Pride" T-shirt, a ride on an F-22 Raptor simulator at the Lockheed exhibit, and beans from the Contra Cafe coffee company (slogan: "Wake up with freedom fighters").
As of midday yesterday, a silent auction netted $300 for lunch with activist Grover Norquist, $275 for a meal with the Heritage Foundation president and $1,000 for a hunting trip with the American Conservative Union chairman. But lunch with former congressman Bob Barr (R-Ga.), with an "estimated value" of $500, had a top bid of only $75 -- even with a signed copy of Barr's book, "The Meaning of Is," thrown in.
No surprise there. The former Clinton impeachment manager is the skunk at CPAC's party this year. He says President Bush is breaking the law by eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without warrants. And fellow conservatives, for the most part, don't want to hear it.
--Snip--
"Are we losing our lodestar, which is the Bill of Rights?" Barr beseeched the several hundred conservatives at the Omni Shoreham in Woodley Park. "Are we in danger of putting allegiance to party ahead of allegiance to principle?"
Barr answered in the affirmative. "Do we truly remain a society that believes that ... every president must abide by the law of this country?" he posed. "I, as a conservative, say yes. I hope you as conservatives say yes."
But nobody said anything in the deathly quiet audience. Barr merited only polite applause when he finished, and one man, Richard Sorcinelli, booed him loudly. "I can't believe I'm in a conservative hall listening to him say [Bush] is off course trying to defend the United States," Sorcinelli fumed.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Unlike the New York Times, the Washington Post reports that Vice President Cheney was "far more to this crowd's liking" on the Al Qaeda call eavesdropping. The WaPo reports that the crowd was cheering the Vice President.
I haven't seen any FReeper reports from CPAC as of yet.
Bob Barr only poses as a Republican. He needs to move on to MoveOn.org
I used to like Bob Barr. I did not even mind him being a liberal on the civil liberties issues. I even swallowed hard when he joined the ACLU. But, the minute I heard that he was going to introduce Gore for a hit piece speech, I said enough.
He will never ever gain a good word from me.
I agree. Barr has gone to the dark side.
Barr has lost it. Pitiful.
Another political whore.
The field became too crowded on the right for Barr. He would just be one of hundreds of voices and not a particularly good one. By shifting left he has become unique, a Republican quasi-conservative who now can get on every news show and make a name for himself. The only person he has to share the field with over there is Pat Buchanan.
Barr could have taken an approach that would make him an ACLU iconoclast, stirring up that organization from the inside, by addressing real threats to civil liberties - for example, by taking on the IRS (which is the ultimate threat to our freedoms), by standing up for gun rights, etc. Instead he foolishly gives an introductory speech for Al Gore's nonsense, and jumps on the Al Quaeda/Demo-Commie bandwagon on the faux "domestic surveillance" issue.
Bob Barr is no more a Conservative then Zell Miller is a Liberal. Unfortunately, he gets called one by the Dinosaur Media so I guess it is true. He can't ride on his Impeachment Manager record forever.
How true! Barr was a Democrat before he changed parties to run for office as a Republican.
It has to be said. Barr was a Clinton impeachment manager. He obviously respects the rule of law. The law is the law. Conservatives are about, among other things, the unambiguous rule of law. Claiming Al-Queda connections does not excuse illegally wiretapping American citizens. The law has to mean something or the law means nothing, regardless of party. This is about the rule of law and the constitution. Barr is right on the money.
(Here it is over four hours later and the Bushites haven't let you have it yet? I'm impressed!)
It was much clearer when the Republican party had stalwarts such as Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan to set the course. You could easily tell their commitment to conservative principles simply by listening for the howls from the northeast liberal Republicans (Keating, Javits, Case, Brooke) in response to what they said or did.
These days, anyone who voices opposition to the leader is labeled a liberal, a communist or a traitor by the Republican sheep. It is no longer the same party I once worked in.
Bob Barr is wrong and apparently hasn't studied the Constitution that he once took an oath on.
Oh, you betcha! And not just the knickers... We're talking full body suit here!
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