It’s fair to say that the Values Voter Summit entered its second day with much anticipation, with attendees dying to see what Rudy Giuliani would have to say, and to determine whether Mike Huckabee is ‘for real’ amongst this Values Voter constituency.

 
Neither candidate left anyone disappointed. Giuliani showed up and delivered a lengthy speech trying to build some sort of psychological bridge between himself and a block of voters who would largely find him unacceptable. I doubt Rudy changed anyone’s mind, but his presence at least confirmed that conservatives are willing to listen to someone with differing views.

 
Conservatives believe in the value of free speech (as do many liberals), it’s the willingness to listen that separates the ideologies.

 
And listen they did to Rudy, receiving him with polite applause and a perfunctory standing ovation.

 
But first things first. Bill Bennett opened the morning’s program with a treatment on American foreign policy – essentially an overview on neocon philosophy that could just as easily have been delivered by George W. Bush or Dick Cheney.

 
Conservatives are divided on the merits of the Iraq War, and while the movement largely supported Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, many who formerly went along with the rationale are no longer giving the neocons an automatic stamp of approval. Listening to Bennett, the Iraq War is already won, American democracy is set to take over the world, and we can expect to aggressively ‘expand’ freedom around the world.

 
“There were no reports of roadside or car bomb detonations today.”

 
That’s fine, Bill. Traditional conservatives love our troops as much as you do, and there isn’t a person in the room who would want a single hair harmed on any American soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan.

 
But there’s also time to consider the cost in lives and treasure that such expensive military actions overseas brings along with it.  George W. Bush said the Iraqis themselves would help offset the cost of the war once their oil production went back on-line. Where’s that money? How much longer do the Iraqis need to achieve political reconciliation? How much more is it going to cost?

 
Nobody likes to lose, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. Neocons can talk with great enthusiasm about all the great things we’ve achieved in Iraq, but their arguments are getting old and somewhat sour. Conservatives believe that our military force, if properly deployed, can be the greatest cause for good that exists in the world, but does that really include patrolling the streets of a foreign capital that we conquered four years ago?

 
When Bennett said “we must stay on offense,” I almost thought this was a long drawn-out introduction for Rudy Giuliani.

 
Bennett struck a few chords when he discussed the need to focus on ‘pre-emptive cultural surrender,’ which was a bit closer to traditional conservative themes of fighting leftist intrusion into American culture.

 
Bennett concluded with a quote from Abraham Lincoln: “As a nation of free men, we must live though all time, or else die by suicide.”

 
I’ll add a quote from the film The Shawshank Redemption: ‘Get busy living, or get busy dying.’

 
The conservative movement needs some sort of consensus on the future direction of America’s foreign policy, or it will continue to divide us. The news appears to be all sunny or all dark, so where’s the truth?

 
Speaking of division, Rudy Giuliani followed Bennett, and proceeded to speak/ramble for 40-45 minutes, roughly twice as long as any of the other candidates. Was that a concession from the Summit organizers in order to entice Giuliani to show up? I wondered whether the clock had shut off and maybe no one had the guts to tell him that his time was up.

 
Give credit where credit’s due – it took some political guts for Rudy to address a room full of folks who spent the last 24 hours vowing that there would be no compromise on the social issues that define conservatives.

 
Rudy didn’t announce any great epiphany, and his themes weren’t any kind of departure from what he’s been saying all along, mainly “my 80% friend is not my 20% enemy,” and “there’s much more that unites us than divides us.”

 
Giulani offered his record as Mayor of New York City as the ‘bone’ to conservatives – telling the audience “you need not fear me.” I don’t think anyone fears Rudy, but whether he’s an acceptable leader of the conservative movement, that’s a different story.

 
It’s my impression that people who are ‘pro-choice’ don’t feel as strongly about the issue as those who advocate for life, and there was a certain lack of fire in Rudy’s appeals to find a common ground on that issue.

 
Rudy pleaded for more ‘inclusion’ in the party, and said that Christianity is an inclusive religion. He cited his years growing up in parochial schools and his near entry into the seminary (he got a few laughs for that one).

 
He said he could be trusted because he hadn’t changed his positions for political expediency, which was a not-so-concealed dig at Mitt Romney.

 
He also called for a renewed commitment to personal responsibility, which would make everyone more accountable.

 
Other applause lines included Giuliani’s favoring of school choice and his kind words for adoption over abortion.

 
Rudy didn’t mention Hillary Clinton by name, but said “It takes a family to raise a child, not a village.”

 
Not surprisingly, Giuliani touted his aggressive foreign policy as the reason why Values Voters could favor him, echoing Bennett’s earlier comments to ‘remain on offense.’

 
The talk mercifully ended with Rudy pronouncing that conservatives could ‘trust’ him, and then he left the stage and probably is headed towards an audience that will be more accepting of his progressive ideas.

 
Half the audience seemed to leave along with Giuliani, which was a shame. 

 
Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele followed Giuliani, discussing the ‘what’s next’ for the Republican Party after the deserved losses in 2006.

 
Next up was radio talk show personality Mark Levin, who spoke with the characteristic fire that he breathes over the airwaves, a take-no-prisoners form of conservatism that found a home amongst the Values Voters. Mixing in humor with a healthy dose of constitutionalism, Levin was very effective and entertaining. 

 
Then there was a panel discussion moderated by Roger Hedgecock took on the role of media in America. 

 
As the panel was finishing up, a wave of people re-entered the ballroom to see Mike Huckabee. Huckabee won the straw poll at last month’s Values Voter Debate by a large margin, and it’s no secret that he enjoys a solid following amongst social conservatives.

 
To put it lightly, Huckabee was inspiring. A gifted speaker, Huckabee wowed the crowd by speaking without notes, dividing up his agenda into three parts: Freedom, family and faith.

 
Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney brought their supporters in to make some noise, but you certainly get the impression that Huckabee’s support is from the hearts of these folks. Huckabee received several drawn-out standing ovations and the most vocal approval of any of the presidential candidates – which is pretty amazing considering his lack of fundraising or advertising.

 
You sense a ‘movement’ here, with Huckabee touching the nerve of ‘Values Voters’ like no one else. His populist appeals tug at the heart strings of a voting block that feels ignored and betrayed by the ruling establishment, including George W. Bush.

 
Huckabee barely touched on economic issues, which is definitely the conservative group that remains most disappointed in his record, and probably will not get behind him no matter what he would put forward.

 
He remains a mystery in many ways, but there’s no doubting that he’s the most articulate candidate in the race for either side. You can’t help but like Mike, but can you vote for him?

 
That question is being left up to the Summit’s attendees, who poured out of Huckabee’s presentation and headed to vote in the straw poll. The results won’t be announced until later on, but here’s predicting that Huckabee will win fairly easily. I even saw one lady asking the FRC staff if she could change her vote to back him.

 
In the strangest of all developments, after discussing the ‘elect-ability’ question with several conference attendees – every one of them said that the so-called second-tier offers better overall candidates (and it’s not even close) than the men receiving all the attention and polling numbers.

 
Will this meeting’s straw poll change the balance in the Republican race? Every poll that Huckabee wins is one more step towards recognition. A win here will resonate with grassroots ‘Values Voters.’