As the Conservative Political Action Conference gets underway in Washington tomorrow, it’s worth remembering that Mitt Romney ended his 2008 campaign exactly four years ago yesterday during his CPAC speech.
Looking back, the former governor had a rather provocative explanation as to why he felt the need to withdraw from the race for the Republican nomination.
“If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and frankly I’d be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.”
In all seriousness, Romney suggested to the CPAC audience that he had to withdraw — or the terrorists win.
For those who may have forgotten it, Jon Stewart had a compelling reaction to the remarks at the time.
Four years later, I wonder: does Romney think he was right? Barack Obama became president, and by most standards, has proven to be extremely aggressive in combating terrorism, compiling far more successes than his Republican predecessor. Does Romney stand by his belief that electing Obama president was part of “a surrender to terror”? Or does Romney regret making the charge in 2008, and realize now he was wrong?
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