{Final report from CPAC!!}

I swear this is better than the NBA finals. I’m tired and drained, and my head is spinning with more information than it can handle, but I’ve never been prouder to be an American. Thanks to great leaders like Tony Snow, I’ve been reminded of how many reasons we have to be happy and optimistic about our country’s future rather than dismayed.

The recently resigned Press Secretary for President Bush had today’s closing speech, and it couldn’t have ended on a better not. From the moment he walks into the stage, you could sense his positivism and excitement. You’d never guess this guy was in a battle with cancer.

I can’t do it justice, but here are some highlights from the weekend’s most encouraging speech:

If you want to win in November, speak out! Spread the message of our values to family and friends.

There are only two choices (this November), and only one of them is going to be good.

This is our moment to reach out.

When you need optimism based on a deep faith… who are you going to call? (an audience member calls out, “ghostbusters!” and Tony corrects him with a smile: “Conservatives!”)

Let us be innovative, creative.

Conservatism IS compassion. So don’t be fooled by the distortions of liberals.

When Snow says that he has some ideas for how conservatives can be victorious, someone yells out, “Run for President!” I think most of us were disappointed when he laughed and responded, “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” Are you sure you can’t be swayed, Mr. Snow?

He thinks his idea is better:

Why don’t we get together and revive the revolution?

Let’s fix the problem together and let’s fix it right.

Since President Bush came to office, we’ve faced some of the greatest challenges in our nation’s history (Snow lists September 11, Hurricane Katrina, our economy, the Iraq War, and the War on Terrorism). But instead of crumbling, we’ve faced each challenge and come up even stronger.

We’ve had 6 and a half years of economic expansion… the gap between the rich and the poor has narrowed.

Crime, drug use, abortion, and teenage pregnancy rates have all gone down.

You want to know why democrats want to count all of these things as failures? Because they refuse to help. And also because they don’t want America to succeeed.

When Hillary and Obama talk about change, they’re describing what’s going to be left in your pocket after they’re done.

If you really want to feed the poor, if you want to shelter the homeless, care for the economy… then join us. We’ll show you the way. Addressing liberals, Tony makes an important point; contrary to common perception, it is the conservative ideology that is truly compassionate.

When you lionize Ronald Reagan, don’t forget the important part: the joy. And no one exemplifies that more than Tony Snow. With a sense of humor and energy that sets him apart from the average political figure, his hopeful attitude is something every conservative should emulate.

And that’s it from CPAC. I’ll be leaving Washington with renewed motivation, and I can tell that thousands of others here this weekend are just as energized. The message we’ve heard is loud and clear: we can’t give up hope, and we can’t give up trying.