Sarah Palin gave the keynote speech that ended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and didn't disappoint her fans.

She railed against Obama and the Democrats. She praised Ted Cruz, coming near an endorsement for his presidential candidacy.

But she left some of her biggest bombs for GOP establishment politicians who she accused of joining "the lapdogs in the lame-stream to trash the foot soldiers who fought for America.”

The Hill:

Last year something did happen. The awaking began and Sen. Ted Cruz helped keep them awake. His filibuster, it worked in waking people up to the folly of a government takeover over another one sixth of our economy,” she said. “He forced debate.”

Cruz’s all-night filibuster in late September protesting the implementation of the Affordable Care Act helped galvanize a conservative backlash that led to a 16-day government shutdown.

Republicans such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) were furious over Cruz’s role in the debate. The senior Arizona senator and other colleagues bashed Cruz for provoking a standoff with President Obama without having a clear exit strategy.

Cruz in turn blamed fellow Senate Republicans for not backing up House conservatives who refused to adopt a government funding resolution that allowed the implementation of the healthcare law to proceed.

Palin backed up Cruz’s version of events. 

“He told his colleagues it was time, time to stand up, time to use the tools of the Constitution, the power of the purse to fulfill their campaign promises and to stop ObamaCare,” she said. “But our army balked. We hoped they were just reloading but instead they retreated.

“Worse, they joined the lapdogs in the lame-stream to trash the foot soldiers who fought for America,” she added.

Palin didn't say just how Cruz's gambit could have worked, with the Senate and the White House in control of the Democrats. Just an oversight, I'm sure.

Palin entertained the crowd with her version of "Green Eggs and Ham," that Cruz famously read during his one-man filibuster:

“I do not like this Uncle Sam. I do not like his healthcare scam,” Palin said. “I do not like these dirty crooks or how they lie and cook the books. I do not like when Congress stills. I do not like their crony deals. I do not like the spying man. I do not like ‘Oh yes we can.’ I do not like this spending spree. We’re smart we know there’s nothing free. I do not like reporters’ smug replies when I complain about their lies. I do not like this kind of hope. And we won’t take it, nope, nope, nope. Hat tip the Internet.”

During Palin’s speech, some in the crowd yelled, “Run, Sarah, Run!”

Palin received 2% of the CPAC straw poll vote.

All in all, a typical performance from the former Alaskan governor. Plenty of red meat and Obama bashing, while spending an equal amount of time carrying out her own version of the Inquisition against fellow Republicans. She seems to want to lead the effort to unseat a lot of Republicans that she doesn't consider pure enough, although Ted Cruz is also bidding for the position of Chief Establishment Republican Basher. The Texas Senator just signed a fundraising letter for a group trying to defeat Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the GOP primary.