Dick Morris, the political strategist to President Bill Clinton during his reelection campaign, and John Fund, widely respected political columnist, have been confirmed as speakers at the two-day inaugural Virginia Tea Party Patriots Convention, sponsored by the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation.

“Dick Morris has seen up close and personal how the cynical politicians in Washington, D.C. operate,” said Jamie Radtke, president of Richmond Tea Party and chairman of Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation. “Forewarned is forearmed, and Dick is going to help educate the Virginia Tea Party Patriot Convention attendees about the tricks that the D.C. politicians are trying to pull on America.”

“We’re also thrilled to have John Fund speaking at the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Convention,” Radtke continued. “John has been a prominent voice for fiscal restraint and reform in politics and government for more than 20 years. His clarion call for common sense in D.C. will really resonate with the attendees at our convention.”

Dick Morris authored Behind the Oval Office, a memoir of his role as an advisor to former President Clinton during the successful 1996 re-election campaign, where he was widely credited with assisting Clinton in articulating a middle course between Republican conservatism and traditional Democratic liberalism. Morris now is a political analyst for FOX News Channel and often contributes to FOX News Sunday. He also is a columnist for The Hill, a weekly newspaper devoted to congressional issues. Earlier in his career, Morris was a campaign consultant for Clinton’s Arkansas gubernatorial campaigns. And he has advised a wide range of political leaders, including Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., Republican Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Tx and former New York City Mayor Ed Koch.

John Fund is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and writes the weekly “On the Trail” column for OpinionJournal.com. He is author of Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy. Mr. Fund joined the Journal in April 1984, became an editorial page writer in October 1986 and was a member of the Journal’s editorial board from 1995 through 2001.

Mr. Fund worked as a research analyst for the California State Legislature in Sacramento before beginning his journalism career in 1982 as a reporter for the syndicated columnists Rowland Evans and Robert Novak. In 1993, he received the Warren Brookes Award for journalistic excellence from the American Legislative Exchange Council. Mr. Fund and former Pennsylvania Rep. James K. Coyne are co-authors of the book Cleaning House: America’s Campaign for Term Limits. Mr. Fund attended California State University where he studied journalism and economics.

To learn more about the convention, including how to purchase tickets or become a sponsor, please visit  www.vateapartyconvention.com.