‘I will not retreat an inch, and I will be heard.’
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., considered a leading candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, drew a sustained standing ovation as he came to the podium at the CPAC annual conference of conservatives before an overflow crowd.
The reception was, by far, the most enthusiastic among speakers that included potential presidential rivals Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J.; and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Paul said there is “a great and tumultuous battle under way, not for the future of the GOP, but for the future of the country.”
“I’m not talking about electing Republicans; I’m talking about electing lovers of liberty,” he said.
Republicans, he declared, must be “bold in our convictions, or we will be sunshine patriots that cower in the truth and power of our message.”
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