It’s not fair to evaluate John Bolton on the social issues. He’s announced he’s thinking of running for one single issue: to call more attention to national security issues, and that’s what he did at CPAC.

Bolton announced he wanted to “shift the focus of attention away from Washington,” but he didn’t mean back to Kansas. He meant places like “Tunisia, Egypt, and today Algeria.”

Algeria? I have to go find out what’s happening while I’m watching CPAC speeches.

He devoted one or two lines in his speech to the need to cut domestic spending and urged that we do not attempt any large cuts to the defense budget.

He has previously told the Daily caller he supports gay marriage. But he didn’t say so today.

Grading John Bolton's speech

On Life: D
On Marriage: F
On Social Conservatism: D

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a potential presidential candidate go out of his way to laud the record of one of his most serious potential opponents—but that’s what Haley Barbour just did.

Politics is a team sport, as Grover Norquist likes to say, and Gov. Barbour went out of his way to be an impressive team leader. I said in my last post that Mitch Daniels was the only candidate so far who wants to run on his record. Haley Barbour wants to run not only on his own record as governor, but on that of other Republican governors too.

He singled out three governors (besides himself): Bob McDonnell, Chris Christie and Mitch Daniels:

“I watched Mitch Daniels give Indiana its first balanced budget in 8 years without raising taxes.”

After praising Daniels, Barbour went on to drive a stake into Mitch Daniels' idea that tackling the big fiscal and economic problems requires ignoring the social issues. “Some say that while republican governors were attacking the fiscal and budget issues, we were ignoring social issues, but that’s not right,” he said proudly pointing to the pro-life legislation he shepherded through in Missisippi which he said caused “Americans United for Life to name Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child.”

“Governors get elected to solve problems. That’s why you see governors focused on economic problems, budget and spending. That year we passed the pro-life agenda, Mississippi had a $700 million budget shortfall—it took us two years, but we eliminated that deficit without raising anybody’s taxes.”

Haley Barbour has recognized his competitive advantage: he can run on his record in cutting government without raising taxes. And he can run on his pro-life record too.

Right now, Gov. Barbour pointed out "Republicans control only one-half of one-third of the government". He quoted his friend Fred Smith, CEO of Fed-Ex, “'The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.' And the main thing is: electing a Republican president next year.”

Grading Haley Barbour’s speech

On Life: A
On Marriage: D
On Social Conservatism: B+

We have right now at CPAC, a parade of midwestern politicians. As I write, in a few minutes Mitch Daniels will give the keynote speech at the banquest honoring Ronald Reagan.

Tim Pawlenty is therefore, almost by definition, just one of many Midwesterners vying for a voice in this presidential season. But his speech was --almost-- a caricature of the Midwestern sensibility.

He's a rock-ribbed Minnesotan from St. Paul, running for office.

God bless him!

I tried to evaluate him on life, marriage and social conservatism, but in this speech at least social conservatism was mostly biography, not policy.

For example:

"Back in the 60s, when I grew up there, it was home to some of the world's largest stockyards and meat-packing plants. Many families in my hometown relied on those big plants for their paychecks, for their family’s well-being and for their future. But those plants shut down, and so did a big part of the spirit and the soul of my hometown.

My mom died when I was 16 and not much longer after that, my dad, who worked for a trucking company, lost his job for awhile. The foundations of my hometown and my family were shaken hard.

At a young age, I saw up close the face of loss, the face of hardship, the face of losing a job and I saw in the mirror the face of a very uncertain future. I know many Americans are feeling that way today. I know that feeling – I’ve lived it.

But in those moments, we learn some things. We see some things. We remember what’s important. One of the most important things that we should always remember is the motto of our country "In God we trust.” And we should stand on that foundation as our founders intended."

He also drew from biography a lot of homespun, elemental wisdom, such as:

"But if you don’t, here’s all you really need to know about government reform. On a given weekend, go to two weddings. Go to one where there's an open bar where the drinks are supposedly free. Then, go to another wedding with a cash bar where people pay for their own drinks. You’ll see very, very different behaviors.

Now, I said this on Wall Street not long ago and somebody said, "Well, who the heck has a cash bar anymore?" That question right there from a Wall Streeter tells you about all you need to know, doesn’t it?"

I think that's the closes he came to a reference to marriage.

I have no doubt that Tim's a good man. His record is pro-life and pro-marriage. But at least in this one speech, he really did not say anything about what he would do to be pro-life, pro-marriage, or a social conservative, as president.

Grading Tim Pawlenty's speech

On Life: D
On Marriage: D
On Social Conservatism: D+