February 14, 2008
Most. Awkward. Endorsement. Ever.
"We always had good laughs together."
Those words, spoken by Mitt Romney about John McCain, might have seemed hard to believe just a few short weeks ago, when the two candidates were regularly exchanging harsh words both on the stump and on the airwaves. McCain's distaste for the man who endorsed him this afternoon was evident and amplified during the final month or so of the campaign. The acrimony was often attributed to Romney's wealth, the perception that he was a flip-flopper and the negative ads he aired against McCain and Mike Huckabee. But close watchers of the race know that McCain gave as well as he got in recent weeks, airing attack ads against Romney in Florida, Super Tuesday states and even in the Washington, D.C., metro area after Romney dropped out of the race.
"As all of you saw over the past year, things can get pretty rough in the thick of a campaign," Romney said as he announced his endorsement.
Despite the history of bad blood, however, those who heard Romney's exit speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference and saw McCain's smiley photo op with House Republicans earlier this week might not be too surprised at today's endorsement. Many prominent members of the GOP establishment -- talk-radio hosts and conservative commentators notwithstanding -- are making it known that they are throwing their full support behind McCain, if only because they prefer him to the alternative.
"This man should be the next president of the United States, not Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton," Romney said in today's press conference. Although he made clear in his prepared remarks that he wasn't backing down from his claim to the "true conservative" mantle, Romney went on to cite the areas where he and McCain did find agreement, particularly the war on terrorism. He jeered that the Democrats were relying on "rhetoric" to strike "heroic poses" -- a dig many will see as pointed at Obama more than Clinton -- but added that McCain would "offer America the real thing."
As Romney spoke, McCain stood to the side, striking perhaps the most awkward pose we've seen from him on the campaign trail this year. And as Romney wrapped up his remarks, the two stood at arm's length and rigidly shook hands.
It's clear they're not quite over their campaign-trail animosity, but they're sucking it up for the good of the party. McCain himself once joked that Romney was the real "change candidate" in the race due to his infamous position shifts on issues like abortion and gay marriage, but he's probably not sorry the former Massachusetts governor has flip-flopped once again to endorse him. As he seeks to shore up support among hesitant conservatives, McCain's going to take all the help he can get.
Just moments before Romney spoke, conservative pundit Ann Coulter was back on MSNBC, reiterating her vow to campaign for Clinton in the general election against McCain because she sees the New York senator as "more conservative" than him on a number of issues.
Posted at 5:35 PM
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Campaigns, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, WH 2008
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