MILLER: Conservatives cruise to Alaska

Conservative leaders set sail on Saturday for a week-long cruise to Alaska. Leaving behind the dry land -- or rather wet land from hurricane Irene -- the group embarked on a Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC) at sea. 

The second annual cruise, hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU), has just  57 people and gives guests plenty of time to talk politics with the prominent speakers. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, National Rife Assocation President David Keene, Faith & Freedom Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed are all aboard the Holland America Westerdam ship. 

"We host our events to accomplish something," ACU Chairman Al Cardenas told me as the ship left Seattle. "We gathered together a group of conservatives for seven days for a free exchange of ideas. People can talk about issues which conservatives are passionate about and come up with solutions."

CPAC Director Christopher Malagasi said that the annual Winter meeting in Washington, D.C. "has gottten so big over the years, so we wanted to provide an intimate atmosphere for conservative activists and leaders to discuss issues of the day while at the same time seeing the great state of Alaska." 

Mr. Cardenas said that the outcome of the trip should impact the political landscape. "People around the country leave the trip more motiviated than when they came in. Then they light the same fire of conservative spirt to others back home."

As the massive ship was still in port, the sea depth was 70 feet and the air temparture was 75 degrees. As we sail north through the open sea, the depth is now 55 degrees and the sea depth is 6710 feet. I will be writing all week about the political adventure.