Paul Backers Heckle Cheney & Rumsfeld

Whose idea was it to book Don Rumsfeld to receive his "Defender of the Constitution" award right to a room full of anti-war, Ron Paul libertarians.

Someone at CPAC thought it would be a good idea to book Donald Rumsfeld to receive his "defender of the Constitution" award right after Rand Paul spoke, filling the room up with anti-war libertarians.

This means that mentions of Rumsfeld's name by the introductory speakers are generating boos and jeers from the audience.

However, there are enough people to applaud and cheer for Rumsfeld that his actual introduction doesn't seem too lob-sided, although there is also a trail of libertarian activists leaving the room in a line.

By the time Cheney gets brought out from behind the green room, the room is entirely on the side of the speakers, and the audience starts a very simple cheer: "USA! USA! USA!"

And from the press galley shouts of “Four more years!”

Cheney's first words: "Alright, sit down and shut up."

This however is followed by someone from the audience screaming: “War Criminal!”

A CPAC News twitter post notes: "Crowd going wild for VP Cheney" without mentioning the heckling from activists who are shouting "killer" and "traitor."

The actual substance of the Cheney speech is very pedestrian; we are being treated to a retelling of Cheney's life story, with him explaining how he got his first job in Washington DC.

Dick Cheney is presenting former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with the “Defender of the Constitution Award.”  Cheney’s speech is not political; he frames his presentation of the award by suggesting that owes his career to Rumsfeld.

Cheney says that he wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the chance that Donald Rumsfeld took on him 40 years ago.

The audience at this point has become very mainstream conservative. As Rumsfeld accepts his award and says "I'm sure many folks here would agree we just heard from the finest Vice President of the United States," the audience agrees -- with no signs of dissent.

In a rare admission that the Obama administration's foreign policy has actually not been able to implement many of their more liberal agenda items (such as shuttering Guantanamo Bay) Rumsfeld jokes that the administration may have been taking advice from him.

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