On the ground, there is a contingent of journalists, especially those from European outlets, on their yearly freak hunt (though “hunt” might be the wrong word; it implies something sporting).

The schismatic politics of conservatism are uninteresting to most news consumers in Western Europe, of course, and it isn’t an election year. Rather than taking the 30-minute cab ride to suburban Maryland for the CPAC conference, why not watch the speeches online? Well, these are reporters on safari, roaming the halls of the Gaylord Convention Center (seriously) looking for a different type of “wacko bird.”