Bush at CPAC
Posted: Friday, February 08, 2008 11:03 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
White House
From NBC’s Lindsey Pritzlaff
President Bush opened today’s events at CPAC. Bush was originally slated to speak at 10:20 am, but because of his recently scheduled trip to Tennessee, it was pushed up to 7:15 am. Even with the early start, Bush received a warm welcome from the crowd -- primarily made up of college students.
It has been eight years since the last time Bush spoke at CPAC, and he used his time to outline the successes of his administration. “My energy is up, my spirit is high, and I will finish strong,” he said. As he touched on education, the economy, and the war in Iraq, those in attendance chanted “W” and applauded frequently. Bush said, “My decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision at the time, and it is still the right decision today,” to which he received a standing ovation and one of this loudest applause.
Bush made no mention of any candidate by name from either party. He did address the divide between the Republicans and Democrats’ positions on education, abortion, taxes, and judicial appointments. The crowd screamed “No,” as Bush outlined the Democrats’ positions. “This is an important election,” said Bush, adding that conservatives “must keep the White House in 2008.”