Following up on their continuing attempts to woo conservative voters, four of the Republican presidential candidates spoke at the morning session of the Values Voter Summit in Washington DC.

 
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council opened the program with an introduction to the issues that concern the ‘Values Voter,’ and received a warm reception from the standing-room only crowd.

 
Perkins said that ‘Values Voters,’ contrary to reports in the media, are not singularly concerned about the pro-life cause, and that the people who fit the category are more informed than voters in the general population.

 
The Values Voter agenda includes: restoring a culture of life, which will be furthered by ending judicial tyranny; protecting the sanctity of marriage, which would be defined as between one man and one woman; supporting strong families; religious freedom (not freedom from religion); advancing a culture of decency, which would include defining decency and protecting children from pornography; a strong national defense; a responsible foreign policy; and finally, promoting faith, family and freedom.

 
Perkins concluded with the notion that we’re preparing the way for future generations, which makes the upcoming elections very important. The conservative movement is fractured in many ways, but one common theme throughout the morning was the need to take next year’s election seriously, and not let differences detract from the real need to elect a candidate who will further the agenda.

 
Along those lines, Perkins also stressed that invitations were given to every presidential candidate, and the Democrats either failed to reply, or declined.

 
As was expected, there is a heavy Republican presence at the Summit, though it’s also evident that conservatives are beginning to see the conservative movement as more than just membership in the Republican Party.

 
John McCain was the first presidential candidate to speak, and he immediately set out to mend fences with an audience that has traditionally been wary of the Arizona Senator. McCain stated, “To win your vote, I must win your respect.”

 
Naturally, McCain focused the bulk of his time on the Iraq War, stressing the need to win overseas and develop a comprehensive strategy to confront terrorism. 

 
He then turned to his pro-life credentials, claiming that he’s the only candidate from either party who’s been pro-life his entire life. Citing the time he spent in a Vietnamese prison, McCain says he has a unique perspective on the value of life, and that life is precious.

 
McCain again alluded to his time in the prison during his closing remarks, re-telling the story of fellow navy flyer Mike Christian who kept up their spirits by making an American flag out of his shirt.

 
Overall, McCain was very effective. In a format where he’s able to piece thoughts together, his message comes across well, and you almost forget the fact that he’s so-often on the wrong side of conservative issues.

 
I doubt he’ll do well in the straw poll, but he at least established credibility with the Values Voter audience.

 
Next to speak was Sam Brownback, and the Kansas Senator seemed particularly inspired before this type of audience, where he’s accepted and admired.

 
There are rumors flying that Brownback is about to drop out of the race, but that didn’t stop him from turning in an inspired and emotional performance, passionately arguing for his ‘whole life’ agenda.

 
Brownback said there are two great causes to focus on: first, ending abortion, and second, renewing American culture.

 
On the first point, he cited a statistic that 4,000 abortions are performed each business day, and then talked about a Senate elevator operator with Downs Syndrome – and said each life is precious. 

 
Brownback’s presidential debate performances have been less than inspiring, so I was a bit surprised at how effective he was in delivering a full-length speech on the issues that were truly important to him.

 
Tom Tancredo followed Brownback and delivered a speech that had to be the highlight of the campaign season thus far. Tancredo said he was an ‘unapologetic conservative,’ and repeatedly defined how he viewed the conservative cause.

 
“When conservatives run on principles, we win. When we don’t, we lose.”

 
As was true with all the candidates, the Values Voter audience seemed to respond the most when the speakers discussed illegal immigration and abortion – and that was especially true with Tancredo, who really whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a podium pounding frenzy that inspired a standing ovation.

 
In terms of a pure conservative message, Tancredo was by far the most effective, and he shored up his ‘victory’ in the morning session by claiming that he would refuse to support a ‘lesser of two evils’ candidate if they’re not going to further the conservative movement.

 
Fred Thompson was the last of the presidential candidates to speak, and to put it lightly, was underwhelming. Everything that’s been written about Thompson’s personal demeanor and lack of fire on the campaign trail was embodied by a rather disjointed discussion of what he supposedly stands for.

 
Maybe it’s because his speech time came over two hours into the program, but Thompson had me wondering how he could possibly be close to the lead in the presidential race. Thompson lacked the passion of Tancredo and the philosophical purity of Sam Brownback, and even the credibility of John McCain.

 
Thompson said "I’m proud of the record I compiled during my eight years in the Senate." He might be the only one. 

 
At the end of his speech, a gaggle of his campaign supporters chanted ‘Go Fred Go.’ It was very artificial – just like the candidate.

 
Thompson’s wife Jeri appeared on stage with him after he was announced – and that was about the most life we saw from him the entire time.

 
Needless to say, Thompson was by far the least inspiring in message or personal manner of any of the candidates.