Starring Mitt Romney:
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...
Everybody who has worked for, contributed to, or voted for Mitt Romney owes America an abject and public apology. Everybody.
Time to shut the Republican Party down and replace it with a pro-America opposition to the Democrats.
That's nothing. You're Attorney General just told the Congress that, not only is the President above the law, he also has the full backing of the Dept. of Justice for elevating anyone who pleases him to also be above the law.
Posted by: Ken Muldrew | February 07, 2008 at 11:55 AM
It's worth noting that the Rethugs have accomplished nothing of note in keeping the Fatherland, er, Homeland safe from terrorists. Apparently to Mitt as long as American soldiers are dying in Iraq we are on the path to success. Happily, now that he is bowing out of the race his sons are free to sign up for one or more tours of duty in Iraq.
Posted by: Tuco | February 07, 2008 at 12:08 PM
All Mitt is doing is echoing what John McCain is saying. Neo-McCarthyism seems to be the ticket to the GOP nomination these days.
Posted by: pgl | February 07, 2008 at 12:43 PM
Surrender to terror: that is what Bush, on behalf of the US, did by engaging in a deliberate and shamefully secret policy of torturing people. He decided to give up his own personal morality, and the image and understanding of the US as country built upon respect of the law.
What a bargain that has been. A little part in every American died today with Mukasey's admission. Bush took that without asking, and claims he was entitled to it.
Posted by: crf | February 07, 2008 at 12:44 PM
Thank you, Brad, for articulating here what I've been saying for years. The Republican party needs to be beaten badly enough this November that it is driven out of our political discourse. It must go the way of the Whigs. The Republican party in my lifetime (I am about to turn 70) has articulated no policies save for an artfully rationalized greed. Let George Bush be the Millard Fillmore of the Party of Lincoln.
Posted by: BlueStater | February 07, 2008 at 04:58 PM
There are worse choices within ranks of the Republican nominees (and we are about to get one --- never thought I would see a candidate nominated who was more excited about invading other countries than Bush).
I don't line up well philosophically with any third parties.
I don't line up well with the Democrats in many areas of temperament and policy. Plus, whenever I think about switching parties I invariably run into a Democrat who makes me feel most unwelcome.
So, I vote for the least worst Republican candidate, knowing full well I will likely find myself voting for a superior Democratic or independent candidate in the general election. I've been crossing party lines since 2000.
Abject apology withheld. Hell, I want my party back. Romney was less likely to invade Iran than McCain. You can have public embarrassment aplenty from me, though. In the end, general election votes are ultimately the ones that matter.
-JLR
Posted by: JLR | February 07, 2008 at 07:12 PM
Yesterday my co-workers talked about the candidates. All of them voted for Romney. One said he only voted for Romney because he didn't want to vote for "that socialist McCain." All have had successful careers; they know a lot about the business world; they exude righteousness. They read the WSJ, watch Fox News, admire Bill O'Reilly. They're angry at the Democrats and John McCain who, they think, are leading the nation into ruin.
Posted by: PeterE | February 07, 2008 at 11:02 PM
Hey, maybe now that supporting his presidential campaign isn't "fighting terra" anymore, Romney's five sons will enlist and go "fight terra" in Iraq?
*crickets*
Posted by: dug | February 07, 2008 at 11:13 PM
The failure to generate new and appropriate national parties is a fault shared by the US with other political systems, but it is something the designers of political systems should have taken into account. Both the Democrat and Republican parties have enjoyed monopoly privileges, and look like continuing to do so, if necessary acting in collusion, as they have in the past, for example, in destroying electoral reform in New York.
Posted by: wmmbb | February 08, 2008 at 12:22 AM
The failure to generate new and appropriate national parties is a fault shared by the US with other political systems, but it is something the designers of political systems should have taken into account. Both the Democrat and Republican parties have enjoyed monopoly privileges, and look like continuing to do so, if necessary acting in collusion, as they have in the past, for example, in destroying electoral reform in New York.
Posted by: wmmbb | February 08, 2008 at 12:23 AM
From Romney's speech: "Europe is facing a demographic disaster. That is the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Creator, failed families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life and eroded morality."
Won't be missing him, that's for sure.
Posted by: David | February 08, 2008 at 02:03 AM
And meanwhile Obama and Hillary must answer his parting calumny about Democrats and surrender. You cannot leave this crap out there without answering, starting now.
Posted by: bob h | February 08, 2008 at 06:45 AM
I fear the damage made to US by the Rethugs is beyond the point of no return.
Anyone that will be the Democrat President, be Hillary or Obama, will have few chances of change the curse to disaster.
Don't be fooled. "It's the economy, stupid!" Democrats will won the election, we are going to recession and that will be very bad news for the Rethugs.
However, I fear that despair can make King Bush start a war with Iran, because the fear trick will not work. He is a gambler and that will be a very dangerous gamble.
Because Iran will not be a piececake, when the american fleet fear 3 small boats, something is wrong. Very wrong.
João Carlos
Sorry the bad english, my native language is portuguese.
Posted by: João Carlos | February 08, 2008 at 07:05 AM
His speech was despicable and you weren't the only one who caught it. Stewart skewered him pointedly last night on the Daily Show. It's been a while since I laughed that hard. It's in the first six minutes here:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=156317&title=mitt-drops-out
They follow-up with material by Jason Jones on Romney being a douchebag. Very pointed but not nearly as funny as Stewart's but.
Posted by: Stlinquirer | February 08, 2008 at 09:31 AM
Ah, that should end with "as Stewart's bit"
Posted by: Stlinquirer | February 08, 2008 at 09:32 AM
Beside being a political whore, Romneys' parting statement is the example of what the campaign will look like: All Terror, All FEAR, All the time. And the Democratic candidate will be the new "surrender Monkey". Perhaps the best team would be __________ and Jim Webb. I could easily see Webb taking one of those boonie boots and sticking it up somone's butt where it belongs. The Republican party has shown itself to be continually cowardly, deceitful, dishonest and captive to Ike's military industrial complex. Whomever the Dem candidate is, this can't be a polite campaign. No more Swift boaters.
Posted by: D Collins | February 08, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Ah, but this is the most amazing one of all:
"The threat to our culture comes from within. The 1960’s welfare programs created a culture of poverty. Some think we won that battle when we reformed welfare, but the liberals haven’t given up. At every turn, they try to substitute government largesse for individual responsibility. They fight to strip work requirements from welfare, to put more people on Medicaid, and to remove more and more people from having to pay any income tax whatsoever."
Getting rid of income taxes for low-income people is a "threat to our culture"? Incredible.
Posted by: Illuminismo | February 09, 2008 at 02:30 PM