Mitt Has Quit (And Other Campaign News)

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney suspended his presidential campaign yesterday, insuring Harry Reid's place as the most powerful Mormon in Washington.

Both Romney and John McCain addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference yesterday, and though Romney's speech got more of a positive reaction, his speech was more pathetic, as he claimed the mantle of conservative leadership as if his record as a moderate Republican during his tenure as governor of Massachusetts is a moot point.

McCain attempted to mend fences with conservatives, and his comments were respectfully received, but he has a long way to go before he can gain their trust. After all, American conservatives don't just favor lower taxes and less government. It's what they oppose - liberalized immigration policy, action on global warming, international agreements that make the United States accountable to other countries, campaign finance reform - that make McCain, who has supported much of this agenda, so unpalatable. Republicans have a plausible opportunity to win the presidential election in November, but the party's right wing - still dreaming of an ideal America that features a wealthy Caucusian elite exploiting workers, forcing blacks and Hispanics in second-class citizenship and relgating women to a state of barfeootedness and pregnancy while the planet fries, our servicemen die for oil, and Americans have the right to bear arms but have the obligation to accept evangelical Christianity - is ready to fight him every step of the way.

McCain's saving grace may be Mike Huckabee, who remains in the campaign and is more of a real conservative than Romney. And he's not as scary as the leaders of the right. As he and McCain continue to compete for a nomination that is clearly McCain's already, McCain will have a chance to fine-tune and hone his conservative credentials and finesse his temperament by engaging with a conservative candidate he likes and respects. Huckabee will certainly be in a good position to help McCain when he needs to unite the carious functions of the Republican party.

And if all else fails, what better way to unite the GOP than to have as their Democratic opponent . . .

Remember - I back Barack!

(Note: After giving us a son of a Bush, the Republicans ceded the "dynasty" argument against the Clintons exclusively to Obama.)