The annual Conservative Political Action Conference launched today in Washington DC. I’ll be heading up to the Marriot Wardman in Woodley Park shortly to check out some of the afternoon festivities. But I caught Marco Rubio – probably the most anticipated speaker of the three-day event — on C-SPAN this morning.

The former speaker of the Florida House was introduced by Senator Jim DeMint, a man, Rubio said, who believed in him when “pretty much no one outside of my own house did.” DeMint in his introduction said his faith has been more than justified: Rubio now leads Florida Gov. Charlie Christ by 10 points in the primary race for Republican Mel Martinez’s old Senate seat.

Rubio made it clear to his adoring audience that he believed his surge was not sui generis. “From Tea Parties to the election in Massachusetts we are witnessing the single greatest push back in American history,” he said. “Never has the political class, or the main stream media that covers them, been so out of touch with the American people… 2010 is a referendum on the very identity of our nation.”