I just watched Mitt Romney announce his withdrawal from the race here at CPAC. A sad day indeed, but not entirely surprisingly, and arguably the right thing to do for the GOP and the nation.
Upon taking the stage, Romney received a reception that made the event look like a Romney rally:
I must admit, my reaction hearing the thunderous reception in the room was “Gee: where have you folks all been for the last six months?” Too little, too late, I’m afraid, and the conservatives who didn’t back Romney early on should be feeling a well-earned sense of responsibility for Senator McCain’s nomination right about now.
Romney’s speech was classy, and hit the right notes in setting out the priorities of the GOP — and the contrast that we face with the prospect of a President Obama or President Clinton (2). I’ll have more thoughts on that eventually ( although class=”textlink”>Erick beat me to using my preferred headline: “I, for one, welcome our new McCain overlords.”)
Anyway, not much to add to the event itself given that it will be given saturation coverage. But here’s a few photos from my spot right at the edge of the stage…
And finally, back here at Blogger Alley, I had the opportunity to interview the man — or, rather, the mammal — who can claim a bit of credit for today’s news:
Stay classy, Romney haters!
Know When to Fold ‘Em
UPDATE: Bear has video and still shots from Mitt’s CPAC address.
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Kenny Rogers put those famous words to music many years ago. Bob Seger more aptly advised that the trick was “never play the game too long”.
Mitt took to the CPAC sta…