Reports from the day's activities at the Values Voters Forum show that John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Duncan Hunter were all well-received; Fred Thompson didn't "wow" the crowd. Ron Paul drew polite applause, but is expected to do well in the online "straw poll," where anyone who donates at least $1 can vote. Paul has smoked most online polls with his legions of unemployed supporters with computer access.

Jim Geraghty of The Campaign Spot and The American Spectator's Phil Klein were most impressed with McCain. From Klein's post:

John McCain just turned in a tremendous performance here at the Value Voters Summit. This was McCain at his best, the heroic soldier who survived years of captivity through his love of country and faith in God, who fights pork barrel spending, and who is determined to defeat terrorism and protect America without losing touch with our values. The speech had a lyrical quality to it, and avoided easy red meat lines.

His case for the pro-life position was especially strong, and he did something he needed to do--remind the audience of his long pro-life record, but not in a tacky way

Read both posts at the links provided. The Hill's Sam Youngman gives the nod to Romney:

The former governor also addressed his change of heart on the abortion issue, something that has faded as an issue for Romney's presidential campaign since he first got in the race.

"I will be a pro-life president just like I was a pro-life governor," he said. "Like Ronald Reagan and Henry Hyde, I'm a convert to the cause."

Romney was the last candidate to address the Washington Briefing sponsored by the Family Research Council and attended by members of a number of other socially conservative groups.

Romney scored points during his evening address, saying as president he would "champion" a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, something former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.) and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) did not commit to earlier in the day.

The full article is at the preceding link.

Giuliani and Huckabee speak tomorrow. The "Values Voters" have several leaders who have expressed a willingness to support a third-party pro-life candidate if Giuliani wins the nomination, but this is most likely a feint designed to shake loose his marginal supporters. Such a move would entail great risk for those behind it, because whatever influence they currently wield in Republican circles would be greatly diminished if a splinter candidacy served to elect the Democrat.

Given that the President has little direct influence on abortion policy besides naming judges, the risk to the movement far exceeds any potential reward.