For a ballroom full of downhearted conservatives desperate for some good news, Mark Sanford had an odd message.<\/p>\n
The South Carolina governor urged 1,000 activists, gathered in late February at the Ronald Reagan Banquet in a fancy Washington hotel, to be prepared to lose, and to feel happy about it \u201d\u201d to \u201cbe happy warriors,\u201d\u009d as he put it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you be willing to support a cause or a candidate that is likely to lose?\u201d\u009d Sanford asked conventioneers at the Conservative Political Action Committee\u2019s annual gathering.<\/p>\n
Too much focus on winning, Sanford said, leads to compromise and the abandonment of conservative principles.<\/p>\n
As the diners leapt to their feet and applauded, Sanford declared:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe name of the game is staying true to the principles that got you into politics in the first place \u201d\u201d and letting the chips fall where they may.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Over the past three months, Sanford\u2019s criticism of President Barack Obama\u2019s $787 billion economic-stimulus plan has transformed him from a conservative Republican governor little-known outside South Carolina to a political powerhouse with a growing profile among party stalwarts nationwide.<\/p>\n