JUST HOW IMPORTANT IS CPAC?

Very important to the GOP and that's why Coulter's remarks about Edwards matter.


Former Arizona Gov. Mike Huckabee SEZ:

"CPAC brings together not just sort of peripheral activists, but the people who lead movements," he said. "So getting a message here, and connecting and resonating with the people of this group, is really resonating with the heart and soul of the Republican Party."

The Wapo describes the group as "an important Republican constituency."


Newsday gives us a glimpse of the type of person who attended: "David Kern, 65, a retired garden store operator from Cincinnati, was a typical attendee here, some of the most conservative voters in the Republican party: "Right to life is first and foremost to me. I'm a strong Second Amendment, NRA-type guy," he said, referring to the National Rifle Association."

Reuters described the attendees as "conservative activists" and had this observation from the leader of an important conservative group:

"There is some disillusionment, some demoralization and a hope that other conservatives jump in the ring. I don't find a sense of excitement about the candidates at all," said Steve Baldwin, head of the Council for National Policy, a networking group for conservative activists.

UPDATE:

Malkin was on Falafel Boy's (O'Reilly)show on 2/5/07 and said:

MICHELLE MALKIN, FOX NEWS ANALYST:...And just to provide a little bit of context, the CPAC conference is the preeminent conservative grassroots event of the year.