If there was any doubt that there is a huge amount of discord within the Republican Party, the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference should put it to rest. The suburban Washington gathering of the most conservative elements of the GOP last week featured speaker after speaker picking fights with other Republicans and offering criticisms — sometimes indirect and often direct — of party figures like Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain, Karl Rove, former President George W. Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Most of the speakers urged Republicans not to change but rather to double down on conservative principles. They included keynote speaker Sen. Ted Cruz, a leader of the new generation of Republicans whom McCain recently labeled "wacko birds."
"If standing for liberty and standing for the Constitution means you're a wacko bird, then count me a proud wacko bird," Cruz said Saturday. "I think there are more than a few other wacko birds gathered here today."