Mike Pence Versus Tiger Woods

"I was really excited with this timeslot," said Rep. Mike Pence, speaking at 11am this morning. "They called me up and said how about 11am, at CPAC, for your event. Tiger Woods would be addressing the nation, 11am, Friday. Oh perfect."

Tiger's very earnest apology may have been primetime, but Pence's address was timeless — at least for the first three quarters. He found his rhythm early on, and had the audience hopping to their feet like jackrabbits. It was warranted.

"Because of you, the question of American renewal is no longer 'if,' it's 'when.' Your affection for freedom and limited government is contagious," he said.

"We know that the freedom to succeed must include the freedom to fail," he continued. "This is not just about economics. One takeover after another is not just bankrupting our government, its bankrupting our character. We have to end the era of runaway spending and bailouts."

But after clearly articulating his major points, he digressed into platitudes.

"It's time for all of us to do all that we can to make America great," he said. "As you take to the field to do freedom's work in the next 9 months, know this: you will not be alone."

Overall, though, Pence sounded great. He was on-point for the vast majority of time that he was at the podium, and he was clearly the most well-received speaker so far, behind Romney.