“Today, the conservative movement has never been stronger or brighter … Yet, the federal government has never cast a bigger shadow.”

◼ Sarah Palin at CPAC: It is her Party - Tony Lee/Human Events

Sarah Palin came to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. on her 48th birthday. The crowd serenaded her. And her speech was received raucously, as conservatives saw in her someone who articulated conservatism while clearly -- and surgically and defiantly -- differentiating herself from President Barack Obama....

Palin said this is not the Washington of our founding fathers and it is “something our forefathers never envisioned.” She said the “permanent political class is content,” and they exempt themselves and play by a different set of rules.

She said the “money-making opportunities” for those in D.C. are endless and they “spread their wealth” to their friends and donors. Palin has repeatedly rebuked and attacked this culture of “crony capitalism.”

“This isn’t the capitalism of free men and free markets,” Palin said. “It’s the capitalism of connections. … This is the capitalism of Barack Obama of the permanent political class.”