Applause Lines: Conservative Political Action Conference 2014 Top Talkers

Highlights from CPAC's keynote speakers.

Reading the Tea Leaves - For many right-wing politicians, like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was essentially banned from the annual event in 2013 after embracing President Obama in 2012, appearing at the Conservative Political Action Conference is part of their audition for the 2016 presidential campaign. And while liberals and progressives may find their sentiments rather extreme, they are red meat to the true-blood conservative candidates must court throughout the primary season. Here are some of the juiciest lines. –  Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick) (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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Reading the Tea Leaves - For many right-wing politicians, like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was essentially banned from the annual event in 2013 after embracing President Obama in 2012, appearing at the Conservative Political Action Conference is part of their audition for the 2016 presidential campaign. And while liberals and progressives may find their sentiments rather extreme, they are red meat to the true-blood conservative candidates must court throughout the primary season. Here are some of the juiciest lines. –  Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick) (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Gov. Bobby Jindal (Louisiana) - “I spent a lot of 2012 going around the country saying that President Obama was the most liberal and most incompetent president in my lifetime ever since Jimmy Carter. Now having witnessed the events abroad these last several days,” Jindal said, “To President Carter, I want to issue a sincere apology. It is no longer fair to say he was the worst president of this great country in my lifetime, President Obama has proven me wrong.” (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Gov. Bobby Jindal (Louisiana) - “I spent a lot of 2012 going around the country saying that President Obama was the most liberal and most incompetent president in my lifetime ever since Jimmy Carter. Now having witnessed the events abroad these last several days,” Jindal said, “To President Carter, I want to issue a sincere apology. It is no longer fair to say he was the worst president of this great country in my lifetime, President Obama has proven me wrong.” (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Gov. Bobby Jindal (Louisiana) - “I’m not for lawsuits, and I’m not about suing people, but we’ve got a constitutional scholar as president. Strikes me he might benefit, we might benefit, if he actually reads the Constitution now and then. If I were him, I’d consider suing Harvard Law School to get his money back because I’m not sure what he learned in three years.” (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Gov. Bobby Jindal (Louisiana) - “I’m not for lawsuits, and I’m not about suing people, but we’ve got a constitutional scholar as president. Strikes me he might benefit, we might benefit, if he actually reads the Constitution now and then. If I were him, I’d consider suing Harvard Law School to get his money back because I’m not sure what he learned in three years.” (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Gov. Chris Christie - “Mr. President, what the hell are we paying you for?” (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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Gov. Chris Christie - “Mr. President, what the hell are we paying you for?” (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Gov. Chris Christie (New Jersey) - "We gotta start talking about what we’re for and not what we’re against. Our ideas are better than their ideas and that’s what we have to stand up for.”  (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Gov. Chris Christie (New Jersey) - "We gotta start talking about what we’re for and not what we’re against. Our ideas are better than their ideas and that’s what we have to stand up for.”  (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

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Sen. Tim Scott (South Carolina) - “We don’t need Obamacare forcing pizza places to tell us how many calories there are in our pizza, do we really want to know? I’m not sure about you, but I don’t even want to know how many calories are on my pizza. When I eat my Häagen-Dazs ice cream, I want to enjoy those 1,292 calories and all 100 grams of fat in one sitting.” (Photo: Pete Marovich/ MCT /LANDOV)

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Sen. Tim Scott (South Carolina) - “We don’t need Obamacare forcing pizza places to tell us how many calories there are in our pizza, do we really want to know? I’m not sure about you, but I don’t even want to know how many calories are on my pizza. When I eat my Häagen-Dazs ice cream, I want to enjoy those 1,292 calories and all 100 grams of fat in one sitting.” (Photo: Pete Marovich/ MCT /LANDOV)

Sen. Tim Scott (South Carolina) - "Every child doesn't want to go to college," he said, adding "we should have a dual track: one for college and one for the skills necessary to fill the 4 million (job) vacancies we have in America." (Photo: Pete Marovich/ MCT /LANDOV)

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Sen. Tim Scott (South Carolina) - "Every child doesn't want to go to college," he said, adding "we should have a dual track: one for college and one for the skills necessary to fill the 4 million (job) vacancies we have in America." (Photo: Pete Marovich/ MCT /LANDOV)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) - “The president of the United States is treating our Constitution worse than a placemat at Denny’s."(Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) - “The president of the United States is treating our Constitution worse than a placemat at Denny’s."(Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Photo By Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo

Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin) - "You know the way I see it? Let the other party be the party of personalities. We will be the party of ideas.  I'm optimistic about our chances, because the left — the left isn't just out of ideas, they're out of touch." (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin) - "You know the way I see it? Let the other party be the party of personalities. We will be the party of ideas.  I'm optimistic about our chances, because the left — the left isn't just out of ideas, they're out of touch." (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin) - "This is our opportunity. For the president and his allies, this [2014] campaign will not be a sprint — will not be a sprint or a marathon; it's going to be a 50-yard dash. They're going to run from the record. They're going to point fingers. And they're going to try and make us the villain in their morality play." (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin) - "This is our opportunity. For the president and his allies, this [2014] campaign will not be a sprint — will not be a sprint or a marathon; it's going to be a 50-yard dash. They're going to run from the record. They're going to point fingers. And they're going to try and make us the villain in their morality play." (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) - "There are a lot of D.C. consultants who say there’s a choice for Republicans to make: We can either choose to keep our head down, to not rock the boat, to not stand for anything, or we can stand for principle. They say if you stand for principle you lose elections," said Cruz, adding, "Of course all of us remember President Dole and President McCain and President Romney.”(Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) - "There are a lot of D.C. consultants who say there’s a choice for Republicans to make: We can either choose to keep our head down, to not rock the boat, to not stand for anything, or we can stand for principle. They say if you stand for principle you lose elections," said Cruz, adding, "Of course all of us remember President Dole and President McCain and President Romney.”(Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) - "If you were to sit down and try and design an agenda to hammer the living daylights out of young people, you couldn’t do better than the Obama administration,”(Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) - "If you were to sit down and try and design an agenda to hammer the living daylights out of young people, you couldn’t do better than the Obama administration,”(Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton - “Our biggest national security crisis is Barack Obama. This is a president that does not believe in American exceptionalism, a president uninterested in national security and America’s place in the world, who considers our strength part of the problem, that we are the cause of international tension.” (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

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Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton - “Our biggest national security crisis is Barack Obama. This is a president that does not believe in American exceptionalism, a president uninterested in national security and America’s place in the world, who considers our strength part of the problem, that we are the cause of international tension.” (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida) - "This notion that we’re going to pit Americans against each other on issue after issue is something that we should never accept as a people, because it’s never been who we are and it isn’t who we are right now." (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida) - "This notion that we’re going to pit Americans against each other on issue after issue is something that we should never accept as a people, because it’s never been who we are and it isn’t who we are right now." (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida) - "We cannot ignore that the flawed foreign policy of the last few years has brought us to this stage, because we have a president who believed but by the sheer force of his personality he would be able to shape global events. We do not have the luxury of seeing the world the way we hope it would be. We have to see the world the way it is. And we have to address these issues before they grow unmanageable, and they threaten not just our freedoms, but our economy.” (Photo: Pete Marovich/MCT/Landov)

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Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida) - "We cannot ignore that the flawed foreign policy of the last few years has brought us to this stage, because we have a president who believed but by the sheer force of his personality he would be able to shape global events. We do not have the luxury of seeing the world the way we hope it would be. We have to see the world the way it is. And we have to address these issues before they grow unmanageable, and they threaten not just our freedoms, but our economy.” (Photo: Pete Marovich/MCT/Landov)

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Donald Trump - "We’re getting into Jimmy Carter territory. And I never thought I’d see anything like that again. I lived through that time and it was not a good time and we’re pretty close. I think maybe by next month we’ll have surpassed the late, great Jimmy Carter," Trump said, forgetting that the former president is still very much alive. (Photo: Mike Theiler/Landov/Reuters)

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Donald Trump - "We’re getting into Jimmy Carter territory. And I never thought I’d see anything like that again. I lived through that time and it was not a good time and we’re pretty close. I think maybe by next month we’ll have surpassed the late, great Jimmy Carter," Trump said, forgetting that the former president is still very much alive. (Photo: Mike Theiler/Landov/Reuters)

Donald Trump - “[Russian President Vladimir Putin] is toying with Obama."(Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Donald Trump - “[Russian President Vladimir Putin] is toying with Obama."(Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) gestures during his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Maryland, March 7, 2014. Thousands of conservative activists, Republicans and Tea Party Patriots gather to hear politicians, presidential hopefuls, and business leaders speak, lobby and network for a conservative agenda, looking to Congressional gains in 2014 and a Republican president in 2016. (Photo: Mike Theiler/Landov)

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Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) gestures during his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Maryland, March 7, 2014. Thousands of conservative activists, Republicans and Tea Party Patriots gather to hear politicians, presidential hopefuls, and business leaders speak, lobby and network for a conservative agenda, looking to Congressional gains in 2014 and a Republican president in 2016. (Photo: Mike Theiler/Landov)

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Texas Governor Rick Perry speaks during the second day of the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Texas Governor Rick Perry speaks during the second day of the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Texas Governor Rick Perry speaks during the second day of the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Texas Governor Rick Perry speaks during the second day of the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., Friday, March 7, 2014. Friday marks the second day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which brings together prospective presidential candidates, conservative opinion leaders and tea party activists from coast to coast. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., Friday, March 7, 2014. Friday marks the second day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which brings together prospective presidential candidates, conservative opinion leaders and tea party activists from coast to coast. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., Friday, March 7, 2014. Friday marks the second day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which brings together prospective presidential candidates, conservative opinion leaders and tea party activists from coast to coast. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., Friday, March 7, 2014. Friday marks the second day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which brings together prospective presidential candidates, conservative opinion leaders and tea party activists from coast to coast. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)