Thursday, February 07, 2008

Tossing in the Mitt

By Edward Copeland

The Fix at The Washington Post is reporting that Mitt Romney is either suspending or completely withdrawing his quest for the GOP presidential nomination:

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney will suspend his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, according to sources within his inner circle.

A number of those sources said a decision could come as soon as his speech at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference this afternoon in Washington, D.C.

Romney was set to do a call with his finance committee just before addressing the conservative gathering. His decision follows Romney's disappointing showing on Tuesday, when he picked up a number of states in the West but fell short in critical battlegrounds that would have established him as the primary challenger to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

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posted by Edward Copeland at 12:41 PM

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5 Comments:

  • Thanks for the report, Edward. Big news indeed. I thought he might try to stay in it and outlast Huckabee, but I suppose Huck's strong showing in the south (and backing of McCain, it would seem) meant that Huck wasn't about to drop out anytime soon. Now that Romney is out, though, maybe Huck will follow. And then what? Will it just be McCain and Paul? How are conservatives going to deal with that? Would they try to draft one of their own in a last-ditch effort to prevent a McCain coronation?

    By Blogger Michael J.W. Stickings, at 1:35 PM  

  • I think that most conservatives have resigned themselves to McCain except for those like Rush, Ann Coulter and James Dobson and the like who feel a Hillary presidency would be better for their business. The sad thing is, Hillary can't beat McCain. Only Obama can and it will be close even for him.

    By Blogger Edward Copeland, at 3:37 PM  

  • The sad thing is, Hillary can't beat McCain

    Perhaps, the reverse. I can't see McCain winning. He does not enjoy the full support of his own party, and the Bush legacy will weigh heavily against him. Despite his sloganeering about "surrendering to terrorists," most folks don't buy it anymore. And then there is McCain's own baggage.

    Start with the so-called Keating Five, the savings and loan debacle caused by Reagan's deregulation of the S&L industry, and McCain's role in peddling influence on behalf of Keating himself.

    For more recent faire, there is the Senate version of the Economic Stimulus bill. On Wednesday, it came up for a vote on the Senate floor. Clinton and Obama were present and voting. McCain was conspicuously absent.

    McCain has no credibility and no base to run a credible campaign.

    By Blogger Swampcracker, at 4:14 PM  

  • Since when has a candidate needed credibility to win? If you put McCain up against Hillary, you have essentially two pro-Iraq war candidates. Don't fall for this smokescreen about angry conservatives staying home. Hillary will unite them behind any GOP nominee. The Limbaughs and the Coulters will whine, but only because they think Hillary would be better for business.

    By Blogger Edward Copeland, at 4:22 PM  

  • So much for Mitt-mentum. He's one of the great losers in presidential campaign history. He can take his rightful place next to Phil Gramm and Steve Forbes.

    By Blogger Michael J.W. Stickings, at 8:32 PM  

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