I flashed to the '80s when George Gilder strolled past before Ed Meese glided by. Gilder, once President Ronald Reagan's most-quoted living author, spoke Friday at an Austin gathering of the nation's most celebrated conservative movers, including Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the Eagle Forum; James Dobson, whose Focus on the Family professes to defend the institution of the family; and Meese, a former U.S. attorney general. Why did ye olde conservatives cluster in liberal-rich Austin? It probably wasn't for the evening Capitol tour by Gov. Rick Perry or for the private remarks by Attorney General Greg Abbott. Rather, participants likely dwelled on the Democratic agenda in Washington while mulling a speedy end to President Barack Obama's era. That's a guess because the hosting Council for National Policy barred my entry, and its functionaries broke up my hallway interviews. This meeting was so secret it wasn't listed on the hotel's public calendar. The council, founded in 1981, says online that its 450-plus members believe in free enterprise, national defense and Western values. They meet periodically to 'share the best information available on national and world problems, know one another on a personal basis and collaborate in achieving their shared goals.' A senior fellow with the left-leaning People for the American Way told me that council participants range from savvy strategists to all-out conspiracy theorists. At present, Peter Montgomery said, 'there's an effort to coalesce the religious and economic right in a large anti-Obama force.' Eyewitness nugget: At the Austin event, Chairman Michael Steele of the Republican National Committee took Schlafly's questions only after calling a time-out to give her a hug. I'll speculate he was trying to soften her up. Steele told me his general message was to 'get ready, stay engaged. There's a lot of work that has to be done.' From a hallway chair, I otherwise overheard bits of conversation. 'In Islam,' an author bellowed, 'they accommodate slavery because (the Prophet) Muhammad himself had slaves. Slavery still continues in Muslim countries.' Movie actor Matthew Marsden was asked if he gives speeches. 'I feel like I'm going to,' he said. I wondered what drew Marsden to the scene. A sidekick marching Marsden away replied: 'Americans want to see family-friendly movies.' Michael Sullivan of Empower Texans, a conservative group, spoke on a panel. He was struck by the event's meatiness, saying later that discussions twirled around policy, not politics. I walked out with a simple unsettled question: What needed hiding? W. Gardner Selby writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: wgselby@statesman.com. 