Bye, Bye Mr. Olympics

It seems today, that our dear friend, Mitt Romney, has dropped out of the race for the Presidency. My only thought, is that it's a big loss for the party. One of the most articulate, passionate and energetic members of the campaign trail, has said goodbye to the race.

I had hoped that Romney would remain in the race, even as a vice-presidential candidate. Though, the electoral math was not in his favor, and Huckabee can deliver the South, Mitt became the candidate that invigorated people and gave them a sense of belonging with the party. He hasn't polarized the party on issues, yet found the common ground we all stand on, and started building a solid foundation there.

When you look at our successful presidential bids, our commanders-in-chief have all had those traits. Kennedy, Lincoln, and even Dub'ya have all been able to mobilize, charge and enthuse the masses. They've all found collective goals that needed to be changed. They all rallied around social change, economic growth, but most importantly, national unity. Today is no exception.

I never thought I would see the day when a candidate who has secured the nomination, has such a deadpan delivery, monotone speech, and seems to show as much emotion as Darth Vader's helmet. Shouldn't a candidate excite the party? Shouldn't a candidate unite the people?
With John McCain as our candidate, I feel we've already thrown in the towel to real change, given our seat to the democrats, and, as Romney said in his statement, resigned to a surrender to our enemies around the world.

I think moderate has its place in politics, especially as our nation is dramatically pushing for social changes. I think holding onto tradition can often alienate individuals and makes us more isolationist. But I also think that the incendiary rhetoric that we should now expect in the coming months - no matter how flat the delivery - is not going to unite a party, a nation or a global community. It will only tear us apart.

To read more about Mitt's departure from the trail, I have included the text from the Associated Press.

WASHINGTON (AP) - John McCain effectively sealed the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday as chief rival Mitt Romney suspended his faltering presidential campaign.

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," Romney will say at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

"This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters... many of you right here in this room... have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country," Romney said.

McCain prevailed in most of the Super Tuesday states, moving closer to the numbers needed to officially win the nomination.