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Bush Fans Rare at Conservative Pow-Wow

CPAC speakers slam former president, along with Obama

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 28, 2009 9:50 AM CST

(Newser) – George W. Bush spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference every year of his presidency, but this year when you hear his name, it’s usually being derided, writes Andy Barr of Politico. Newt Gingrich spent his speech railing against “Bush-Obama big spending,” while Mike Huckabee cited Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina as a failure, concluding, “You know what kind of conservatives we need most? Competent conservatives.”

Certainly Bush has left the party rudderless. Many argued for a “back to basics” approach, while others advocated a new path. Joe Scarborough warned that Republicans must present alternatives to Obama’s plans, and not be overly negative. But John Boehner ignored that advice, calling the stimulus “socialist,” while an Accuracy in Media editor drew big cheers for suggesting Obama wasn’t an American citizen.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (3)]

Former President George W. Bush with his wife Laura Bush speaks to about 30,000 people at a welcome home rally Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 in Midland, Texas. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Newt spent the conference decrying "Bush-Obama" spending and economic policies. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)

Huckabee thinks what the party needs most are "competent conservatives." (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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We had big spending under Bush and now we have big spending under Obama. And so now we have two failures. - Newt Gingrich

We’re not going to win votes and we’re not going to win elections by calling Barack Obama a communist. - Joe Scarborough

We are fast becoming a regional party, not a national party. There is another name for a regional party, it’s a minority party. - Mitch McConnell

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Bush Fans Rare at Conservative Pow-Wow