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An annual gathering of conservatives in Northwest Washington revealed that the Republican Party is in serious trouble apparently from members of its own base. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in mid-February attracted more than ten thousand people, many of them touting extreme right wing rhetoric including expressing support for torture policies and for wiretapping citizens. CPAC attendees promised to challenge Republicans who they claimed were not espousing conservative values. Fox News’s Glenn Beck and former Vice President Dick Cheney were among the conference speakers. Cheney’s effusive projections, saying that “2010 was going to be a phenomenal year for the conservative cause,” and that Obama would be a “one-term President,” prompted calls for Cheney himself to run for President. Extreme right-wing blogger Andrew Brietbart, and his protege Hannah Giles, who dressed up as a prostitute in the ACORN video scandal, were also present, and were among those who mobbed my guest Max Blumenthal. Max Blumenthal, an acclaimed writer and reporter, who authored “Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party,” often attends conservative gatherings with a camera-person. Blumenthal has attended several CPAC conferences over the years, but discovered this year that his book’s fame has made him an open target.

GUEST: Max Blumenthal, author of “Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party.”

Watch the video of Max Blumenthal being mobbed at his website www.maxblumenthal.com.