As has been reported, Rand Paul indeed won the Washington Times CPAC straw poll. Ted Cruz, however, was the big winner coming out of the conference -- and the weekend. No doubt about it. I say this because just minutes after some 750 mostly young CPAC straw voters had given Paul his numerical win and outsized vocal salute, a pair of very significant speeches -- talks that will live on virally for much longer and to far more voters -- changed the entire atmosphere of the weekend. In started in the very hall where Paul’s win was announced, as Sarah Palin electrified the room and conservatives everywhere with a presentation that heaped praise on Cruz and “Cruz control” tactics – while virtually ignoring the junior senator from Kentucky. This not so subtle pro-Cruz flavoring was not lost on dozens of red-clad Rand Paul supporters, who walked out of the hall during Palin’s speech.  Paul’s supporters had spent the weekend decrying social...(Read Full Post)