Mitt Romney gave one of the first major speeches at CPAC 2010 (the event co-sponsored by the John Birch Society and the Oath Keepers militia group), on Thursday afternoon, opening day.

A commenter at The Lizard Annex points out that George W. Romney was unequivocal and very direct in his denunciation of the Birchers — he predicted disaster if the GOP did not avoid “any possibility of the Society developing influence within the party.”

I wonder how he would have felt about his son lending the Romney name to an event the Birchers co-sponsored?

Ironically, Mitt Romney’s dad had this to say about the Birch Society when he was Governor of Michigan:

“I think the party’s future depends upon repudiating the John Birch Society as an organization and avoiding any possibility of the society developing influence within the Party. I think this is because from experience, I have found that the John Birch Society as an organization uses methods of infiltration and subversion and tactics that we associate with other secret organizations like the Communists. And while there are members of the society that I am sure are not themselves responsible for such conduct, this conduct on the part of the organization makes it essential, as far as I’m concerned, that the Republican Party repudiate the John Birch Society as an organization.”

Cited in Chapman v. Romney, Docket #1810, Michigan Court of Appeals, 2/14/67 [6 Mich App 36 (1967); 148N.W. 2d 230]. Chapman, a member of the JBS, sued Gov. Romney for slander. The Court found in favor of Governor Romney.