Fans of the popular liberal website Daily Kos gathered in Las Vegas this weekend for an irreverent and impassioned conference that blended elements of a political convention, a revival meeting and what one attendee called a "summer camp reunion for people who have never met each other."

The four-day event, which drew 1,000 people, may have marked a milestone in the evolution of the online liberal community from scruffy insurgents to an institutionalized force within the Democratic Party.

A procession of prominent Democrats appeared at the convention, testifying to the importance the party now places on cultivating the online activists and bloggers who often describe themselves as the "netroots."

Among others, the conference heard from Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, and four possible 2008 presidential candidates, including former Virginia governor Mark Warner.

Yet the weekend offered plenty of evidence for why the internet activists will be difficult for Democrats to domesticate. The bloggers and liberal activists who filled the panels and workshops condemned the Washington Democratic establishment almost as enthusiastically as the Republican Party, President Bush and the mainstream media.

In a keynote address Thursday night, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, who founded the Daily Kos in 2002 after serving a stint in the Army, portrayed the rise of Internet activism as a challenge to both political parties, the media, and all the other established institutions in the political system.

"The media elite has failed us; the political elite, both parties, has failed us - Republicans have failed us because they can't govern; Democrats have failed us because they can't get elected," Moulitsas said. "So now it's our turn."

The tangible political impact of the "netroots" activism remains a subject of debate. Dean was the online community's favorite Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, and he won a single primary. But, since then, Democrats have grown more reliant on the internet to raise money and get out their message.

Almost all Democrats agree the Internet activists linked through institutions that range from Daily Kos and other liberal Web sites -from MyDD to the giant liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org - are wielding increasing influence.

"I clearly think this may be one of the most important parts of the future of Democratic politics in this country," Warner said.

Reid was equally emphatic.

"I don't think we know today where its (impact) is going to end up," he said. "But it's not going to be less, and it's going to be greater."

Reid demonstrated his belief in the group's significance by using a speech at the conference to announce that he would introduce legislation to sharpen congressional oversight of the intelligence information Bush is using to make decisions on Iran.

Reid said his legislation would require a new "national intelligence estimate" on Iran and also establish procedures to vet the accuracy of claims from senior officials about the country's nuclear weapons program.

The Daily Kos website has become a huge online gathering place for Democrats to debate issues, vent spleen, and promote causes and candidates. Moulitsas estimates the site gets at least 500,000 hits a day. Although many of those may be repeat visitors, that's enough to place him at the forefront of politically oriented websites.

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