They all took turns bashing President Barack Obama and, like good politicians, vowed to make huge changes if they get elected to the White House. Attendees at the three-day conference heard from Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Their respective messages, delivered in the main ballroom of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, were not all that different.

Bolton’s was. On Saturday morning the former George W. Bush diplomat distinguished himself by focusing on foreign policy and emphasizing that Obama’s attempt to court the Muslim Brotherhood could lead to an Islamic dictatorship in Egypt. The president’s approach is “hesitant, inconsistent, confused and just plain wrong,” Bolton said.

He added that National Intelligence Director James Clapper’s recent statement that the Muslim Brotherhood is “largely secular” was the “single most foolish statement any American Intelligence official has ever made.” This earned loud applause, chuckles and sporadic whistling. So did this comment: “I don’t think the president cares much about foreign affairs. We need focused attention on these critical national security issues.”

Bolton also criticized defense cuts, the administration’s policies towards China, Czechoslovakia and Iran. He emphasized that American strength is not provocative to its enemies, but rather American weakness is provocative to its enemies. “This administration specializes in this,” Bolton said, adding that “our desire to protect ourselves is not provocative.” He emphasized that this is especially true when it comes to terrorism.

One comment in particular brought the house down before Bolton left the stage. “Obama claims he killed Osama bin Laden when it was ten years in the making. Obama just got out of the way.”

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Florida Governor Rick Scott also took the stage on Saturday and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin delivered the keynote address after strolling through the lobby with an entourage. It was a crazy scene in which security had to create a path so Palin could get through the mobs of people that quickly surrounded her. The former vice presidential candidate bailed on CPAC at the last minute in 2011 and was abruptly replaced by Florida Congressman Allen West.

Security was extra tight at this year’s event, with a strong Secret Service and local police presence. Outside the conference headquarters Occupy D.C. activists, community groups and union supporters staged boisterous protests. On Saturday they braved the snow to demonstrate and hold signs. Some admitted they were paid as much as $60 to storm the conference and disrupt certain key presentations.

Joined on stage by his wife and children, the former Pennsylvania senator earned various standing ovations from the pumped-up, capacity crowd at the event’s main ballroom. He presented himself as the true conservative in the race and, like the other two candidates who spoke at CPAC on Friday, trashed Obamacare, saying a mission to overturn it motivated him to run for president.

A few hours later Mitt Romney received his biggest applause about half way into his 25-minute speech, when he got around to trashing Obamacare. Otherwise, the former Massachusetts governor received a much colder reception from the crowd than Santorum or Newt Gingrich, who took the stage last. “I will eliminate Obamacare,” Romney said. It’s the only time the crowd cheered loudly and stood up in approval.

About an hour later Gingrich earned waves of applause with many of his witty one-liners, mostly trashing the Obama Administration. The boisterous crowd often broke out chanting “Newt, Newt, Newt” as he revealed his plans for fixing a broken government. “My first executive order is to abolish all White House czars,” he said over thunderous clapping. Gingrich also said that among his first goals as commander-in-chief is to repeal Obamacare.

Speaking of Obama’s hostile takeover of the nation’s healthcare system, Judicial Watch held an informative panel on the subject in the main ballroom following Romney’s speech. “Obamacare is an unprecedented power grab,” said JW President Tom Fitton before introducing the panel of experts that discussed how the measure is unconstitutional.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who bailed on CPAC at the last minute in 2011, will wrap the conference up with a Saturday afternoon speech. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Florida Governor Rick Scott will also speak at different times throughout the day. Among the more interesting seminars on the final day appears to be one that addresses state versus federal law involving illegal immigration.

“Unlike any leader in modern American history, we are led today by a president that has decided to pit Americans against each other,” Rubio said. “The basic argument he is making to our nation is that the reason why some of us are worse off than we used to be is because other people are doing too well. That the only way for some of us to do better is for some people to do worse.”

The popular Cuban-American lawmaker avoided the hot-button political topic of immigration, though an anonymous flyer circulated around the conference insinuating that Rubio is soft on illegal immigration. It read: “Senator Marco Rubio, elected to the Senate with strong conservative support, gave a keynote speech at the Hispanic Leadership Network Conference in Miami on 1/27/2012, in which he made a number of statements, raising questions about whether he’s distancing himself from his previous opposition to amnesty for illegals.”

Three one-time Republican presidential candidates—Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain—also delivered speeches on the first day. Perry, the governor of Texas, said his presidential campaign just ran out of time. Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, said running for president is “one series of humiliations after another.” Cain, a businessman, said “gutter politics” and putting “family first” led him to drop out of the race. On Friday three presidential candidates—Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich—will headline the conference.

Among the more interesting CPAC seminars Thursday was a panel dedicated to the dangerous resurgence of socialism in Latin America. Otto Reich, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, warned that the type of socialism spreading throughout Latin America is a more pernicious Marxist style than in Europe.

“Latin America is the soft underbelly of the United States,” said Reich, who also served as U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela. He noted that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has granted Iran access to the hemisphere while also supporting Marxist guerillas. “I’m concerned about the covert actions and alliance between Iran and Chavez,” Reich said.

Security is heightened at the three-day conference in the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, with a strong Secret Service presence and special canine units throughout the premises. Judicial Watch will hold a special panel in the main ballroom Friday afternoon on the unconstitutionality of Obamacare.