presidential hopeful mitt romney will deliver a speech to 10,000 members of the conservative political action conference. with rival rick santorum three victories tuesday night leaving more than just a hint conservative republicans aren't so enthusiastic about romney as the party's nominee, his performance today could be crucial. with more on that and the ongoing fight over health care coverage for birth control, nbc's brian moore joins us from washington. >> reporter: romney more conservative supporters have been urging him to step up his game. today is his chance. ♪ >> reporter: before the gop presidential hopefuls address a big gathering of conservatives here in washington today, former candidate rick perry set the tone. >> if it's halftime in america, i'm fearful of what the final score is going to be if we let this president start the second half as the quarterback! >> reporter: it is a critical chance for rick santorum to build on his big primary season wins earlier this week. and make the case he is the conservative candidate who can win. it's a chance for newt gingrich to rally his supporters. b

the conservative political action conference. then bill press talks about the 2012 presidential race. as well as his new book. and later on, a look back at some of the highlights of january's u.s. conference of mayors meeting here in washington. >>> there's been honest contention, spirited disagreement and, i believe, considerable hot arguments. but don't let anybody be misled by that. you have given here in this fall, a moving and dramatic prove of how americans who honestly differ, pulls ranks and move forward shoulder-to-shoulder. >> we look back at 14 men who ran for the office of president and lost. go to c-span.org/thecontenders to see videos of the men who had lasting impact on american politics. >> and what about you? are you out of debt? are you paying less for the things you buy or more? do you really think things can't be better? of course they can. working together, we can and will make them better. >> c-span.org/thecontenders. >>> with president obama releasing his $3.8 trillion proposal for 2013, a number of his cab

political activist calls it the center of gravity for conservatives right now and we're talking about the cpac meeting in washington. so what exactly is it? cpac stands for conservative political action conferenceack in 1973 as a small gathering of dedicated conservatives. it's now an annual gathering of party activists and elected officials from around the country. it has grown to include thousands of attendees. the conference ends tomorrow with the highly anticipated straw poll of republican presidential candidates. more important this year because it's an election year. three of the four candidates are speaking at the conference today. they're trying to rally supporters and appeal oth conservative base. wolf blitzer joining us now. let's talk more about the major issues of the year now. we talked about the contraception issue earlier. the economy of course. what do conservatives listening for? what do they want to hear? >> less government spending. that's issue number one for so many of these conservatives. they love it when they hear these candidates say they're going to cut government spending. shrink the size of government. get government as they say off their back. that's music to their

politically influential conservatives. that's what all four republican presidential candidates are fighting for today at cpac, the conservative political action conferenceshington. cnn political contributor mark preston. results of the cpac straw poll will be released later on today. highly anticipated. what's the buzz in the room there? >> well, a couple of things. one, we don't have ron paul, fred, this year at cpac. in past years he's had such a loyal following of young voters who would come in and stuff the ballot box and he would win the straw poll. however, ron paul did not participate in cpac, instead he decided to stay on the campaign trail. so one, will mitt romney win the straw poll and if he does, will that help change the narrative about his affiliation and attraction to conservative voters. something he has had a little bit of trouble with so much in this race for the presidential republican nomination. another thing is rick santorum. could rick santorum come out and win the cpac straw poll. in fact if he does, will that add more fuel to

come one come all to the thirty ninth annual conservative political action conference. for sure this is where conservatives come together. to talk about their love of country we have to stand and we have to fight for our freedom their distrust of government i want my liberty back i look around and i see places like for example california they've banned happy meals and their extreme disdain for the president barack obama where is the president's plan to save medicare. let me show it to you here if you don't have one it's a blank piece of paper president obama has not followed through with the founding principles of this country they transcend space we are the proper conservatives of years and time i like to be around american patriots who love this constitution this year though there's a sense of urgency in the world we're a country bleeding a country that is you know consumed with apathy and ignorance we're concerned about america. very concerned this is a moment in our nation's history that defines what we are as americans they peddle their ideas i believe in auditing e

the occupy movement looking to shake things up well take it to the twenty twelve conservative political action conference. president obama he's the most effective their president and. leave it to newt gingrich to blame a national crisis on one man meanwhile millions of americans are living hand to mouth and using food stamps to survive and it's not just the poorest of the poor that need a helping hand explain. it's friday february tenth eight pm in washington d.c. i'm christine for you watching our team. one more tensions on this friday evening between israel and iran sanctions imposed by the united states and other countries on iran are starting to have a deep impact for the people seventy four million who live in the country and many now are finding it more and more difficult to get access to food and money meanwhile two senior u.s. officials have confirmed to n.b.c. news that the people's mujahedeen of iran a dissident group also known as the end ek worked in conjunction in conjunction with the mossad israel's national intelligence agency in carrying out the assassinations of iranian nuclear scientist

and at the conservative political action conference, where the presidential candidates spoke today, none of them were ready to given credit. >> did they make the fundamental mistake that this was about kind of encroachment into your life, that this is not about reproductive issues. this is about the government getting too much into your life? >> well, right. it's really all about how the issues are framed. if you look at the issue framed as a religious liberty argument, it does seem unreasonable to force a church to do something against its teaching. gwen: and forcing an insurance company to pay for it, which is what his come pra size is. >> right. that was how the compromise put the burden on the insurance company as opposed to on the employer, catholic hospital or charity or university. >> when the speaker says it isn't over yet, why not. i guess they can keep talking about it. i know there are court challenges, three or four that are pending, but this is it, right? this is the rule. it's done? >> i think they're waiting to see if this satisfied the catholic leadership and i think also

members of the influential conservative political action conference are holding their annual convention in washington. most don't think romney is conservative enough. susan mcginnis is in washington with details on that. good morning, susan. >> good morning, betty. the thousands of conservatives that are here in washington right now for this huge conference may not be rallying around mitt romney right now, but they are unified in their goal of defeating president obama and their latest rallying cry, the president's policy on birth control. it's one of the biggest events on the conservative calendar. >> we must outsmart the liberals. we must outsmart the stupid people that are trying to ruin america. >> this morning, thousands are expected to pack this ballroom in washington, d.c., for day two of the annual cpac conference. conservatives from around the country will hear from three of the four gop contenders, including front-runner mitt romney. romney's ability to rally conservatives came into more question after rival rick santorum swept three gop races. in oklahoma thursday, santorum c

we are awaiting the results from the cpac, conservative political action conference, very important amongonservatives. hello, i'm gregg jarrett. >> heather: welcome, i am heather childers. the political action conference wrapping up in washington, d.c. and the straw poll could shape what has been very unpredictable race. a win for romney could be what he is looking for. a santorum on the other hand could add more momentum to his campaign after his three victories on tuesday. doug mckelway has the very latest. exciting day, doug. >> reporter: good evening to you. we know that the voting closed down at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon. we know that the votes have been tabulated. the official results are expected to be released at 4:15. very good chance that fox news will get a heads up and i've got my blackberry ready to go if it comes in. we'll bring it in to you as it happens. while the crowd is waiting, they were entertained by one of the most impressive speakers, impressive by the crowd reaction. he is not a united states citizen but she british citizen by the name of daniel hannon. he implored

it stands for the conservative political action conference. it was founded in 1973, a small gathering of dedicated conservatives. it's now an annual gathering of officials from around the country and has grown to include thousands of attendees. it ends with the straw poll today with all of the republican presidential candidates. federal safety investigators are trying to figure out why the driver's side door on one of the best selling cars in the united states may be catching on fire. the probe involves the 2007 toyota camera sedan and the rav4 suv. six fires reported. no injuries. the investigation could involve 830,000 vehicles. just how cold is it in europe? it's been so frigid the black sea is actually squeaking. take a listen. creepy. this youtube video shows the black sea near odessa ukraine. it's from large sheets of ice crashing together. winter returns to the ohio valley and the northeast. reynolds wolf joins us now. what do we have coming up? >> the snow moving into parts of the appalachians. the highest numbers in west virginia six t

this is a look at santorum and his family on the stage about an hour ago at the conservative political action conference. with 10,000 people in the crowd. he asked, which of the presidential candidates has the best conservative track record. some of them yelled, you do. he also went after romney's record and his failure so far to seal the deal with republicans. >> we talk about how are we going to get the moderates. why would on undecided voter vote for a candidate who to party is not excited about? >> reporter: romney still leads nationally but santorum is gaining fast and is now ahead of newt gingrich. he speaks in about an hour in what his aides are billing as a major speech. ron paul will not be there but it will be interesting to see how this crowd here in washington today responds mitt romney as he tries to tout his conservative credentials. allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the claim of house financial services committee is under investigation for possible violations of insider trading law. the office of congressional ethics is investigating some of the transactions on republican congressma

. ♪ >>> now remarks by republican presidential candidate newt gingrich at the conservative political action conferenceere in washington. he was introduced by his wife, calista. this is 45 minutes. >> thanks, babe. what a great gathering this is. i'm so happy to be here with you at cpac. newt and i have a wonderful partnership with dave bossie and citizens united. together, we have produced seven documentary filmsen conservative values, principles, and personalities. several of the documentaries are shown here at cpac. let me just take a moment to thank all of you who have been so supportive to us throughout this campaign. when we decided to run, we knew there would be tough stories from the need yeah as well as hurtful attacks from some of our opponents. what we didn't know was how kind so many americans would be to us. throughout this great country, people have offered their heart felt prayers and support. i want to thank everyone who has reached out. you have made our lives richer and our campaign stronger. because i know newt better than most, i'm pleased to introduce him today. i'd like to share a

. >> now mitt romney at the conservative political action conference. later we will hear from former speaker newt gingrich. >> out the next is a man i know you all want to hear from. it is my pleasure to do just that about now. some of you have told me you have not found the perfect candidate. all contentious primaries go through this at one point or another. but we need to get that guy in the white house. the reason why you are here is to hear from these three fellas. now you can make up your minds. it is my pleasure to be here to introduce this candidate. newt gingrinch, ron paul, and rick santorum all had passing grades. mitt romney has done very, very well. [cheers and applause] for those of you who are still thinking about what you should look for in choosing a presidential candidate, let me suggest this -- values, he should be confident -- competent of leading this country, and beating barack obama. [applause] my wife and i know mitt romney and his wife very well. i am proud to report that they have a faith that humbles me. five children and 18 gr

and the other republican candidates for the nomination are speaking today at the conservative political action conference in washington. the big question is does mitt romney fit in with the message of conservatives. >> he was a punching bag at times today. newt gingrich and rick santorum took swipes. for mitt romney it must have felt a little bit like a test. he had to prove himself to a massive audience of right wing that skeptics. >> for mitt romney, it was a place to affirm once singular belief. >> i know conservatism. >> he tried to shore up the credentials. he touted pro-life smaller taxing, smaller government. >> i fought against long odds in a deep blue stay, but i was a severely republican governor. >> for the ultra right, it is still a hard sell. >> he needs to secure his position. he seems like a flood clobber to a lot of people. >> we are wondering how conservative can he be. >> it is one of many issues his opponents try to capitalize on today. >> we do not have the scale of money some of our competitors do. we do have a plan. we have a conservative green team. >> why would an undecided voter

after that, sarah palin at the cpac conference -- at the conservative political action conference. >> this week, josh marshall, publisher and editor of talkingpointsmemo.com -- a news organization featuring breaking news, opinions, and reporting. >> josh marshall, how would you describe what you do? >> i am publisher. i am also the editor of the news websites. i am involved in the editorial and publishing side of the operation. that is what i do. i publish a news websites. >> hollen have you done it? >> i have done it -- how long as you -- how long have you done it? i have done 9411 years. -- i have done it for 11 years. we employ a number of journalists. it is able company with everything that goes with that. for the first five or six years, i t was a one-man show. >> can you remember the first moment you said, i want to do this, myself? create this website? >> yes. i think there were a couple of moments where i had that where i did not do it yet. false starts. when i was in graduate school, i was involved in website design to support myself. i put together a newsletter that was abou

our coverage of the annual conservative political action conference continues today. scheduled at 10:25 eastern and mitt romney is before 1:00 p.m. and newt gingrich will be there a little after 4:00. in about 45 tons, james lewis, former director of the president's commission on cyber security will talk with republican senator john grasso at 8:30 and he is a member of the conference committee trying to work at an agreement on extending the payroll tax cut for the rest of the year. we look at how the government measures price increases and how inflation index -- affects programs like social security. programs like social security.

republican presidential candidates will be in washington, d.c.txd today appearing at a conservative political action conference. before that event mitt romney stopped in northern virginia to drum up support he talked about competition for jobs and the sparring match of sorts he had a few years ago with a fellow republican governor. >> arnold schwarzenegger came to my state and put up billboards in massachusetts. he was trying to poach my jobs. come to california, picture of him flexing his muscles and his t-shirt. what am i supposed to do. i put up billboards in california outside airports i knew business people would come. i was also wearing a t-shirt flexing my muscles, it said smaller muscles but much lower taxes, come to massachusetts. >> romney is facing a new push from santorum following his caucus wins tuesday. a survey shows santorum in a dead heat with romney each at 30%. >>> los angeles police have just announced the capture of a dangerous hollywood stalker. >>> driver's quick thinking saved several students from this burning school bus. >>> overcharging customers. the smartphone banking tool that ha

it's the conservative political action conference meeting in washington. it's the third and final day of the convention which brings together the nation's leading conservative activists. here's a look at today's highlights. at 4:15 the conference will release the much anticipated results of the much anticipated presidential straw poll. right after the straw poll results, sarah palin takes the stage to deliver the convention's keynote address. three of the four gop candidates addressed the conference yesterday, furnishing their credentials and attacking president obama. our director is covering kre pack for us this morning. lots to talk about. let's start with today's convenients. what's the real significance of the straw poll? >> well, you know, ted, if rick santorum, who has come on with three major wins last week in missouri and in colorado and minnesota, if he were to win the straw poll tonight that would be seen as a huge boon to his campaign. in fact, in the last three days rick santorum, where a lot of people didn't think he had a shot after the nomin

presidential hopefuls will be here in washington today addressing a crowd at the conservative political action conference or cpac. delia goncalves is live outside the marriott wardman park with a preview of the big event happening there in just a little while. >> reporter: the conference here at the marriott will be filled with folks eager to hear from some of the top candidates in the race so far. romney, santorum and gingrich will be speaking today. normal show, well, ron paul. decided not to come at all. and that's interesting because it could prove to hurt him after all the three day conservative convention is considered must attend for presidential hopefuls and in fact the 10,000 expect attendees participate in a straw poll results of which will be announced tomorrow. and 2008, cpac essentially killed romney's presidential bid. now he and santorum are hoping the conference will help them seal the deal. >> the president seems to have forgotten that he was elected to lead all americans and that he was elected to be president of the united states, not the "occupy wall street" fan club. >> it starts wit

he was one of the featured speakers at last week's conservative political action conference here in washingtonwalker even took shots at president obama in that speech. >>> the alexandria fire department will be out of service for 48 hours to honor a paramedic killed last week in the line of duty. joshua weissman died last week when he fell from an overpass on interstate 395. his visitation will be held today. his funeral is set for tomorrow. while the fire department attends weissman's funeral services, first responders from arlington and fairfax will field

here's what he said at the conservative political action conference. >> i want to say thank you, president obama, because have you done more than any person in the entire g.o.p. field -- any candidate has done to bring this party to unity and energize this party as a result of your attack on religious liberty and the attack on the personhood of every human being in america. thank you, president obama, for doing what none of us republicans apparently could get done. former arkansas governor and fox news host, mike huckabee joins us. good evening, governor. >> great to be with you. >> what do you think of the combination today? that's what they for calling it, the president has suggested the way to resolve the dispute over this contraception fight? >> too little, too late. you don't ooh comidate the constitution and you don't accommodate people's first-amendment rights. that's what the president was attempting to do, to ameliorate the situation with a very heavy-handed decision that trampled over the conscience of people of faith. not just catholics. i i think caghts licks are at the center

republican presidential candidates will be in washington, d.c.txd today appearing at a conservative political action conference. before that event mitt romney stopped in northern virginia drum up support he talked about competition for jobs and the sparring match of sorts he had a few years ago with a fellow republican governor. >> arnold schwarzenegger came to my state and put up billboards in massachusetts. he was trying to poach my jobs. come to california, picture of him flexing his muscles and his t-shirt. what am i supposed to do. i put up billboards in california outside airports i knew business people would come. i was also wearing a t-shirt flexing my muscles, it said smaller muscles but much lower taxes, come to massachusetts. >> romney is facing a new push from santorum following his caucus wins tuesday. a survey shows santorum in a dead heat with romney each at 30%. >>> los angeles police have just announced the capture of a dangerous hollywood stalker. >>> driver's quick thinking saved several students from this burning school bus. >>> overcharging customers. the smartphone banking tool that has c

candidates will be in washington, d.c., today courting conservatives at the annual conservative political action conference, which attracts influential leaders and activists from across the country. the white house hopefuls are looking for votes. >> we need someone who can lead this country, who can motivate and surround themselves with strong, principled conservatives. >> rick santorum and newt gingrich continue to try to top themselves as the conservative alternative to mitt romney. gingrich has consistently said that romney's views are too close to president obama. mitt romney try to flip the argument. >> senator santorum and speaker gingrich are the very republicans who acted like democrats, and when republicans act like democrats, they lose. >> he believes he will ultimately win the gop presidential nomination. ron paul is hoping to win main this weekend and a skipping cpac to campaign in the state, saying he has decided to give his supporters a break. >> we made a decision a couple of months ago not to do it. it is a matter of resources. we have a lot of young people involved in our campaign, and we

most of the republican presidential candidates are in washington today for the conservative political action conference or cpac. >> delia goncalves joins us live from the marriott wardman park in northwest where the whole thing is taking place. good morning delia. >> reporter: good morning, you know all is quiet here at the hotel but in just a few hours this morning things will really heat up. the three day conference here at the hotel is a must attend for the presidential hopefuls. but interestingly enough, the only candidate not attending and not speaking is ron paul. in 2008, mitt romney attended cpac and this unfortunately is where his presidential bid came to an end. but he's hoping this year it will be different and this will secure his standing in the race. the conference comes at a very good time for rick santorum who is still riding on the momentum of his big wins this creek in minnesotaman -- week in minnesota, missouri and colorado. what can folks expect? at least a couple of attacks against president obama. >> the president seems of the forten that he was elected to lead all americans and t

the other big political story at this hour the conservative political action conference or cpac wrapping up in washington. the straw poll there always a headline coming out of that event. people from around the nation voting for the candidate they want to see take on president obama in november. winner of the cpac straw poll this time around, mitt romney. if you listen in there to some of the crowd reaction from earlier you hear some cheering, even some booing in that crowd. congressman ron paul won the straw poll the past two years, as they vie for the g.o.p. nomination now romney taking 38% of the vote, rick santorum with 31%. newt gingrich with 15% followed by 12% for ron paul. of course there are no delegates to win there at cpac but can be important indicator of popularity among some republican voter, particularly conservative. also making news at cpac the keynote speaker form are vice president shall candidate current fox news contributor, sarah palin. we'll get to her more from her in just a moment. first doug mckill way. they were predicting santorum would win this. how -- >> in

today, c-span will be bringing you more live coverage from the conservative political action conference this afternoon. we will be hearing from texas senator john cornyn followed by grover norquist. then, results from the cpac presidential straw poll. at 4:30 eastern, remarks from sarah palin. a look ahead to tomorrow's "washington journal," the impact of super pac's on the election. bill press discusses 2012 presidential politics and his new book. rob richie outlined problems with the current election system and gives suggestions to change the process. in his weekly address, president obama urged congress to pass the payroll tax cut extension which he says will prevent a tax increase on 160 million americans. virginia governor bob mcdonnell will give the republican address. he talks about what he expects to see in president obama's budget request and the government role in creating jobs. >> hello, everybody. in recent weeks, we've seen signs that our economy is growing stronger and creating jobs at a faster clip. while numbers and figures will go up and down in the coming months, what

mitt romney, newt gingrich, and rick santorum will be at the conservative political action conference or cpac at the marriott wardman park. occupy d.c. protesters are vowing to protest outside of the hotel today and tomorrow. >>> this morning friends and family are remembering a local pair medic who died after falling from an interstate 395 overpass. joshua weissman died yesterday afternoon. he was one of three pair medics who responded to a three-car crash and car fire near the shirlington road exit wednesday. weissman somehow fell from the overpass 20 feet below, two stories, into four mile creek. he was taken to the hospital with severe head injuries. nabs say that weissman loved his job. >> i've spoken to him about him working on the job, and i know how he just put everything into it. how dedicated he was. and it's -- it's just a shame to see something like that happen. >> weissman is survived by his wife and parents. funeral arrangements are pending. >>> a friend of a former university of virginia men's lacrosse player accused in the beating death of his elk girlfriend -- ex-girl

. >>> now online on c-span video library, speeches from last weekend's conservative political action conference. >>> we must outsmart the liberals. we must outsmart the stupid people that are trying to ruin america. >> it's about one country united under god. we aren't red americans. we're not blue americans. we're red, white and blue and president obama, we are through with you. >> around the last table, they can get along and come at our throat as long as we're foolish enough to raise taxes and throw money in the center of the table and then they can get along like the scene in the movie after the bank rob whichry, one for one for you, one for you. and they're all happy. >>> with politics and public affairs programming throughout the week and every weekend, 48 hours of people and events telling the american story on american history tv. get our schedules and see past programs at our websites and you can join in the conversation on social media sites. >>> a look now at the $25 billion mortgage settlement with five of the nation's largest banks over charges of mortgage fraud. "washington journa

walker was one of the featured speakers at last week's conservative political action conference in washington. he even -- he heavily criticized president obama in that speech. >>> and the president appears to be winning some support for his handling of the economy. a new cbs news/"new york times" poll shows that 34% of americans believe the economy is improving. up from 28% a month ago. 22% think the economy is getting worse. 43% say it's remaining the same. as for the president, just 44% of people surveyed approve of his handling of the economy. but that is up from 40% last month. >>> now to the race for the white house where rick santorum finds himself the focus of several attacks. a new ad by a super pac that supports mitt romney criticizes santorum over his voting record as a senator. the ad calls santorum a big spender and washington insider. newt gingrich is also taking shots at him, claiming santorum has a complete misunderstanding of modern warfare. as for santorum's tactics, he's vowing to maintain a positive campaign against romney in upcoming primaries. >>> capital one has been giv

today the candidates court voters at the annual conservative political action conference. >> as conservatives and tea party folks, that we are not just wings of the republican party. we "are" the republican party! [ applause and cheers ] >> we conservatives are proud to cling to our constitution. >> this campaign is a mortal threat to their grip on the establishment because we intend to change washington not acome date it. >> ron paul was the only candidate who didn't go to the convention. he is campaigning in maine ahead of tomorrow's caucus there. >>> not one, not two, but three giant octopi, how the rarely seen creatures are making a splash here. >>> and sleeping through the night without popping a pill. the new therapy that could help millions suffering from insomnia. >>> valentine's bouquets are serious business so we put four online companies to the test to find out who gives the best flowers at the best price. >>> before we get to the octopi, let's do an "occupy" story. members of "occupy" cal went back to campus with a festive flair. they have five tents set up in sproul plaza alongsi

republican party hopeful mitt romney is looking to win over voters at the conservative political action conference in washington where he said he was severely concerned. rival, rick santorum who won a hat trick of states, and newt gingrich addressed the conference. holding prayers as a formal part of the council meeting is unlawful. the test case against the town council was brought before a formal counselor who is an atheist. the judge ruled that the town council had no statutory powers to make prayers part of the council meetings. this could have far reaching implications in england and wales. >> we hold before god and prayer, our sovereignty the queen. >> with a monarch who governs the state church, christianity has a privileged position in britain. >> she will spend a few moments in silent prayer. >> in practice in schools, send an ceremonies of national commemoration. for generations, christian prayer has become council meetings slosh begun -- christian prayer has begun council meetings. >> we have these skewed in the direction of elderly church boulders. councils are for everyone, not just a

presidential hopeful mitt romney will deliver a speech to 10,000 members of the conservative political action conference. with rick santorum's three victories, leaving a hint republicans aren't enthusiastic about romney, his performance today would be critical. for more on that and the on-going fight over health care coverage for birth control, brian moare joins us from washington. good morning. >> reporter: romney's supporters have been urging him to step up his game, today, is his chance. before the gop presidential hopefuls address a big gathering of conservatives here in washington, former candidate rick perry set the tone. >> if it's halftime in america, i'm fearful of what the final score will be if we let this president start the second half as a quarterback! >> reporter: it is a critical chance for rick santorum to build on his big primary season wins earlier this week and make the case he is the conservative candidate who can win. a chance for newt gingrich to rally supporters. but it may be mitt romney who has the most ridding on his cpac appearance. >> it's an incredible opportunity for him t

it's called the conservative political action conference. going on now at the marriott wardman park hotel. nbc's brian mooar is live on capitol hill with more. good morning, brian. >> reporter: good morning, joe. mitt romney's most conservative supporters have been urging him to step up his game. today, it's his chance. he'll be speaking before 10,000 rock-ribbed conservatives. this is a critical chance for rick santorum. he wants to build on the big primary season wins he had earlier in the week. he and newt gingrich are really battling to prove themselves as the most viable conservative in this campaign. romney, he's the one with the most riding on today. he's been struggling to connect with conservatives, and he's expected to explain today a lot of questions about his time as massachusetts governor, his policies in terms of health care and other issues. ron paul, interesting, will not be at the conference. he, you might recall, was the winner of the strong poll the -- straw poll the last two years running. the straw poll this time around