To truly understand conservatives, you need to experience them in their element. The largest such gathering of true believers is the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which took place this weekend in Washington, DC. CPAC is a rite of passage for young conservatives, graced by the likes of Dick Cheney, John Bolton and Bill Frist.

I and The Nation‘s Max Blumenthal stopped by on Friday, hoping to catch Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, the subject of Jeff Sharlet’s masterful profile in this month’s Rolling Stone. Brownback didn’t show, but luckily Ann Coulter was on the menu later in the day. She didn’t disappoint–characterizing Muslims as "ragheads," comparing moderate Republicans to slave plantations and wishing she’d assassinated Bill Clinton. Go read Max’s blog for the full account.

Before Coulter’s speech we strolled around the exhibit hall, home to such vendors as the "ex-gay is OK" table and "Muslims for Bush." We stopped by the booth of one man opposed to affirmative action in South Africa, of all places. Much to our surprise, he was not a fan of the current Republican Party or its followers. When Max told him to go see Coulter he responded, "my friend warned me about her."

Even white nationalists from South Africa are more mainstream than Republican activists in this country.