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Washington • Sen. Mike Lee offered some blunt advice to a large gathering of conservatives on Thursday: Don't pick your presidential candidate based on platitudes and vague promises.

"We have a job to do, and that job is not just to find the guy who can shout 'freedom' the loudest," Lee told the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside Washington.

The gathering draws fire-brand conservatives for several days of speeches, and potential GOP presidential candidates see it as one of the first steps in the vetting process. Scheduled appearances this week include Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, Govs. Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal, former Govs. Jeb Bush and Rick Perry, and neurosurgeon Ben Carson, among others.

But Lee warned the crowd as the event began Thursday that they would only have themselves to blame if they elevate unprincipled, "unserious presidential candidates."

"If that's what conservatives reward, and that's all they reward in the next year and over the next two days here at CPAC, if that's what they reward with cheers and standing ovations and straw-poll votes, then that's all that we, as conservatives, will ever get," Lee said. "Talking points, and platitudes, and empty promises."

Of course, CPAC is awash with talking points, as speaker after speaker takes the stage for a few minutes to rally the crowd. An adjacent hall offers a gallery of political memorabilia, many of which skewer President Barack Obama and liberals.

The group's straw poll, with results announced Saturday, is seen as a barometer of support with the GOP's right flank.

Mitt Romney won the poll four times during his two presidential bids, and Sen. Rand Paul, and his father, former Rep. Ron Paul, each nabbed it twice in recent years.

Without naming names, Lee said conservatives should be looking for candidates with "battle scars" who have actually won elections and fought for what they talk about in speeches.

"We need to be willing to expect more out of our would-be leaders," Lee said.

Freshman Utah Republican Rep. Mia Love also spoke at CPAC on Thursday, and earned applause for saying that she was elected not because of her race or gender but because she believes in "American exceptionalism."

"We are not done," Love said. "We are just getting started. We can build a better nation than we've ever seen. We just need to make sure that we believe in ourselves."

During a radio interview at the event, Love said she is unwavering in her support of a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security while gutting President Barack Obama's immigration executive orders, and that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell either needs to pass the House bill or lose his job.

"I would like to just say that we have a leader in the Senate that is supposed to do his job and get the six votes that he needs in order to get this bill passed and if he can't do it, we need to get somebody else to do it," Love told Talk Radio 1210 WPHT in Philadelphia.