I'm at the Heritage Foundation for the "classiest" bloggers luncheon I've seen in the past year-and-a-half. (This lunch is co-hosted by the State Policy Network which explains the fancy set-up. No complaints Bluey.)

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint is one of the special guests along with Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.

DeMint is one of my favorite politicians. He's extremely folksy with his South Carolinian charm, but as I've learned after working with another Southerner, Jack Kingston, don't let the Southern accent fool you - DeMint one of the smartest, most tactical politicians in Congress today. Before he served in public office, he ran a marketing firm where he helped teach others how to effectively communicate. Clearly, he was a good teacher.

And boy, does he get it -- how to effectively communicate in the modern world -- that is.

Anyway, back to the story. DeMint is here to talk about bringing the Republican Party back to its conservative roots and his efforts to do that in the Senate through the bicameral Reagan21 Coalition (oddly, can't find a website to link).

He opened his remarks by noting just how important bloggers were to his communication effort. Again, see oddity that I can't find a link to the Reagan21 Coalition -- if you know one, please leave in the comments and I'll include it in the post.

Regarding Reagan21, DeMint said the group is about 30-40 Members of Congress and a handful of Republican Senators who agree to a core list of principles -- among others, a commitment to no earmarks.

Now, back to my fu-fu salad as we wait for Sec. Leavitt.

UPDATE Dec. 6, 11:36 AM: Robert Bluey has video of DeMint talking about bloggers: