hat event attracts nearly all of the contenders for the Republican presidential nomination? What brings radio maven Dr. Laura Schlesinger, leading politicians including Sen. Orrin Hatch or Rep. Henry Hyde, and even baseball great Reggie White to Washington, D.C.?

   They're all coming to Foggy Bottom to attend Pat Robertson's annual "Road to Victory" Conference sponsored by the Christian Coalition. Labeled as down and out of the political arena following a series of legal setbacks this past year, the Coalition is celebrating its tenth anniversary. From the guest list, it is evident that Robertson's group remains a powerful force within the Republican party and on the national political scene. Some 3,500 faithful activists are in Washington to attend the two day festival which includes workshops on everything from "effective lobbying" to "Our Godly Heritage," "Media influence," and even "Y2K Readiness." Invited or confirmed speakers include Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, antifeminist activist Phyllis Schlafly, and every GOP nomination contender except Sen. John McCain (who cited a conflict of scheduling). Coalition-watchers are waiting to see if Texas Gov. George W. Bush, a close associate of Robertson, graces the crowd with his presence.

   The Washington conference prompted Associated Press writer Sandra Sobieraj to appropriately headline her afternoon news dispatch, "Candidates Woo Christian Coalition." MSNBC followed suit ("Courting the Christian Coalition"), as did the Atlanta Journal Constitution ("Campaign 2000: Christian Coalition blessings sought.") Washington Bureau writer Mark Sherman underscored the realpolitik of the situation, adding "Despite problems, conservative group wields enough clout to lure GOP presidential candidates to weekend conference."

   This weekend's religious right schmooze-fest could be an important make-or-break development in the campaign of GOP hopeful Steve Forbes, who finished second in the recent Iowa straw poll behind Bush. Forbes has assiduously courted the Christian Coalition and other religious brethren, declaring that if elected president, his first act would be signing into a law a ban on so-called partial birth abortions. He has staked out a leading position regarding what he terms the "right to be born," and has reiterated his enthusiastic support for prayer in public schools and vouchers to aid parents seeking to send their youngsters to private and sectarian institutions. As a result, the Forbes campaign has picked up crucial operatives including Jerry Keen, former Christian Coalition head for Georgia, and other key activists from Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Louisiana and Washington state.

   Both Christian Coalition founder Robertson and the group's first Director, Ralph Reed -- now a political consultant based in Atlanta -- are known to favor George Bush. Reed is on the Bush payroll, and Robertson has assured fellow religious conservatives that the Texas governor is "profoundly pro-life" and passes other benchmarks in the faith litmus test. While agreeing with much of Pat Buchanan's ideological agenda, Robertson and other Christian Coalition leaders see the Buchanan campaign as a potential drain on the GOP's chances of capturing the White House in the year 2000 races. At a banquet last night, Robertson told supporters, "The time will come when we have to choose between two candidates for President of the United States. Hopefully it's not going to be three." Robertson added that he was "filled with Clinton fatigue."

   "As we prepare for the new millennium," declared the preacher, "I want to start with cleansing the highest office of the land from the sleaze and the equivocation and the moral rot which has embarrassed us all."

   Robertson used last night's combination pulpit and podium to also warn Republicans leaders of "deep ideological problems as they have wrestled with the fight against the president who they do not care about very much."

   "I speak now to our Republican friends in Congress," Robertson told his audience. "We helped you to be elected. Now we ask for principled leadership. We ask for courage. We ask you to remember it is better to lose fighting a noble cause then to live in peace as a coward..."

   Almost sheepishly, leading GOP figures then took the podium to explain their situation. Senator Majority Leader Trent Lott told the Coalition that Republicans supported tax cuts, vouchers and a ban on "partial birth" abortions. He pleaded for Christian Coalition support, suggesting that "In the Senate, it's like trying to herd cats. They won't herd."

   Others speaking last night included Elizabeth Dole, who told the gathering, "My commitment is to strive to lean on the lord with my whole heart, reading his word daily and earnestly seeking his will in my life..."

   After ten years, the Christian Coalition has had its share of successes and failures. As Dick Polman writes in today's Philadelphia Inquirer, despite recent setbacks including an IRS decision to deny the group a tax exemption, "Nobody think that the coalition will crash and burn."

   If anything, Robertson has guided the Coalition into a pragmatic and close relationship with Republican leadership -- backing Gov. Bush, for instance, instead of more ideologically fervent candidates like Gary Bauer, head of the Washington-based Focus on the Family group. Rank and file CC members are split among an array of hopefuls including Bauer, Forbes, and even commentator Alan Keyes -- ideologues who often speak to the heart of the Coalition agenda. But Robertson is more pragmatic; he wants a winner in 2000, and he realizes that incremental change is the essence of American politics.

   The Coalition has also had to embark on a costly and difficult process of rebuilding itself at the grass roots. It has strong chapters in fewer than a dozen states, and membership hovers at around 1.5 million. Robertson also took control of the leadership of the Coalition recently, sending the group's former head, Randy Tate, into the newly created post of senior vice president in charge of the Coalition's Washington office. Tate admits that the group has "lost some momentum," but adds that there are big plans for the year 2000 races.

   "We're going to register a million new people into the political process," he declared. "We're going to distribute over 70 million voter guides across the country through churches. We will be very, very active."

   Equally disturbing is the fact that, as Polman observes, "Both major parties have moved to the right; they both claim to have 'faith-based agendas,' and candidates discuss their religious piety in public." He adds that "Former coalition operatives, renowned for their organizing prowess, occupy high posts in a number of presidential campaigns."

   In fact, Vice President Gore and GOP front runner Bush have already declared their intention to forge a "new partnership" between church and state in order to solve social problems. Gore's campaign handlers have pledged to "take god back for the Democratic Party," and end the GOP's monopoly on public religious piety. As a result, few candidates and politicians dare mention the separation of church and state.

   For Robertson and his group, the weekend will be the equivalent of a beef-walk, as candidates vie with each other to gain the Coalition's support and shore up their credentials as religious conservatives. The next 24-48 hours could also determine how Steve Forbes will fare with the Coalition, even with the primary contests months away. Pat Robertson can pick and choose, and possibly even offer his followers an opportunity to select the next president of the United States.

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