Presidential hopefuls jostle at conservative confab

By Anne K Walters Feb 10, 2012, 23:23 GMT

Washington - Republican presidential hopefuls Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich vied Friday for the support of thousands of US conservatives at a conference in Washington, painting the November presidential elections as a battle for the soul of America.

Romney, 64, was battling to prove his conservative bona fides to the key party activists amid ongoing concerns about his moderate policies as governor of Massachusetts and attacks from opponents that he is too liberal to represent the centre-right party.

'I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism,' he said, detailing his years in business and 42-year marriage and family values.

The annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the nation's capital comes as the Republican Party is deeply fractured over who it should send up against US President Barack Obama in November's elections. The three candidates who spoke on Friday all have notched victories in the eight state primary events so far.

Hitting on a series of policies to prove his positions aligned with the crowd on reducing government, lowering taxes and opposing abortion and gay marriage, Romney also stressed he was the only true outsider among the field of Republican candidates.

Romney said that with the conservatives at his side he could take on Obama.

'He will not be lecturing to us on values as a man whose ineptitude and failure has created so much unnecessary pain for Americans,' he said.

Romney is seen as the frontrunner for the party's nomination, but has so far failed to garner much enthusiasm among conservatives who point to his changing policy positions and moderate record in a liberal state.

Still, many have argued that he is the party's best hope of unseating Obama thanks to his widespread appeal to moderates and swing voters and his extensive business management experience.

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, 53, and former speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, 68, are vying to be the conservative challenger to Romney in the hope of rallying a key segment of the party.

Gingrich, who has gone on the attack against Romney and who won the primary in South Carolina last month, painted himself as the anti-establishment candidate despite his decades in Washington.

'For the Republican establishment managing the decay is preferable to changing the trajectory,' he charged, accusing them of not having the 'toughness' or 'philosophy' to build a majority.

Santorum earlier Friday urged the crowd to stand by their principles and not simply settle for a candidate they think is electable.

'We've learned our lesson and we will no longer compromise on the principles that made this country great for a hollow victory in November,' Santorum said.

Santorum gained a key boost from three surprise victories in contests Tuesday, leaving the Romney campaign to point out that every general election candidate loses some races on the path to the nomination.

'There's a lot of excitement here because this election is about very big things,' Santorum told an enthusiastic crowd, arguing that the campaign against Obama is about 'more than just about the economy, it's about foundational principles' such as freedom from government intervention in citizens' daily lives.

He has garnered most attention for his stances on social issues, such as strong opposition to abortion and gay marriage, prompting attempts to scuttle him by gay activists and others.

But Santorum has also sought to capitalize on populist economic rhetoric by stressing his roots as the grandson of a coal miner and Italian immigrant.