As we like to say in Memphis, “It’s hard out here for a pimp.”

But it’s also hard out here for a protestor. You can only count on three or four people to show up, and even then not everybody has a homemade “BusHitler” sign to wave.

It’s hard out here for a politician, too. Hardball, that is.

One of the most impressive things about the SRLC is how so many of the speakers focused not so much on the problems presented by Democrats, terrorists or other outside forces, but rather on the internal disconnect in the Republican Party between its conservative principles and the way it has governed with a majority party in Congress and control of the White House. But if they all agree to these failures, including the Majority Leader, why should they be trusted to change after the 2006 elections?

Plenty of interesting people attended at the conference, like this New Orleans woman. Her home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and her family relocated to Dallas and is currently living off insurance money. She says it’s going to be difficult to start over, since she not only lost her house but also her business. Her friends encouraged her to attend the conference, where she became one of several who voted for Condoleezza Rice as a write-in candidate in the straw poll.

Shelby County GOP First Vice-Chairman Paula Sedgwick enjoyed a surprise visit with Senators Trent Lott and John McCain. If you came to the SRLC hoping to have a conversation with any of the big names, your best bet was to be in the right place at the right time. In general, the speakers tended to disappear after their time at the podium.

For instance, if you happened to have been out on the street in downtown Memphis Friday night, there’s a good chance you could have brushed up against John McCain or Trent Lott, who appeared to be headed to Beale Street. But most of the Memphians who were out on the street at that hour appeared to have no idea who these men in suits were and didn’t care to ask.

Don’t believe the rumor that Frist’s people were bussing his supporters in to influence the straw poll? Meet Toni, a a blogger who admitted she was one of them.

The ducks had the best seat in the house. After three busy days of hustle and bustle, delegates seemed about ready to join them for a swim.