'Rent is too damn high' McMillan shows up at CPAC, will run for President as GOPer

The rent that is "too damn high" is about to become a national issue.

Jimmy McMillan -- the quirky character who stole the limelight during New York's 2010 gubernatorial race - made an animated appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, later reaffirming his commitment that he'd run for President in 2012 as a Republican.

The 64-year-old walked around the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C., giving impromptu speeches to seemingly anyone that wanted to listen. At one point he took of his shoe, raised it in the air, to show support for his "brothers and sisters in Egypt."

"I'm here because the country don't have nothing. All you all have been voting for the same people over again is why you have don't have anything," he said, wearing his trademark handlebar mustache, glasses, and black glove.

"You can't blame none of those in office but look at yourself and blame the problem. "All I'm here to do is to wake you up," he added.

The 3-day event has drawn more than 10,000 conservative activists and Republicans. Attendees will hear speeches from nearly a dozen potential contenders for the Republican presidential nomination. McMillan was spotted chatting with Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann at the conference.

By 10:45 p.m., McMillan was back in New York.

He said he would run for President in 2012 as a Republican, while standing in Penn Station.

Previously he's said that he wanted to register with the GOP to avoid a Democratic primary.

The chatty Vietnam vet, became an Internet sensation in 2010 with his slogan "The rent is too damn high."  He ended up garnering about 40,000 votes in the race for governor.

The response to McMillan hasn't been all positive. He's been criticized for years for anti-Semitic remarks, including linking Jews to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He also admitted lying to media outlets about his
own, reasonable rent.

In D.C, reporters trailed after McMillan, eager to hear to hear what he had to say.

"There's a new boy in town and his name is Jimmy McMillan," said the wannabe politician, of course, adding multiple times that "The rent is too damn high."