Alert:
Rush Limbaugh just said that Time Magazine is saying Romney may concede in his CPAC speech later today.

Update:

Romney has suspended his campaign.

Hopefully Romney has just cut a deal to be McCain’s VP.

Just in case this doesn’t happen:
Romney basically needs to win all the remaining delegates to get the nomination. This is mostly because Huckabee is holding many delegates that may go his way. He is mathematically eliminated but refuses to drop out to keep control of his delegates. However, if Huckabee stays in the race, there is a chance McCain will not win enough delegates and end up in a brokered convention. Perhaps there will be a scenario where McCain will need to make a deal with Romney if Huckabee does not have enough delegates to get over the top. In that case Romney has good leverage to become Vice President.

I just cast my ballot in Birmingham, Alabama for Mitt Romney. Come one Alabama, let’s win this state for Mitt. Remember, a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain. If you are conservative and McCain is not in your top two, you simply can’t vote for Huckabee. I know ideally you should vote for who you think is the best candidate, but let’s be realistic, Huckabee has no shot at all. None. You are not only throwing your vote away, you are helping John McCain win the nomination. Huckabee is single handedly ruining the conservative movement by staying in the race to gain favor with McCain for VP or some other position. How can you vote for someone who puts his personal ambition above the good of the party and the country?

Go Mitt!

Courtesy of Degree of Madness:

The Candidate Who Can See the Enemy, Can Defeat It.  Dr. Phares makes a compelling case for Mitt Romney:

Probably I am among the few who see the clouds gathering around theglobe and thus have been urging leaders to act fast, decisively andearly on to avoid the future Jihad –that has began already. Had what Isee wasn’t there I would be fully excited — like any citizen — toargue forcefully about the crucial matters of our existence: health,environment, nutrition, scientific discoveries, animal protection, andwhy not space exploration. Had I not realized that all that debate washinging on what Bin laden and Ahmedinijad were preparing, I would havebeen looking at a whole different roaster of Presidential candidates.But that is not the world I see ahead of us, in the immediate future.

Hence,I’ll leave the debate about the best economic and technologicaldirections to their experts and I would postpone the social andphilosophical dreams to better times. Right now and right here I aminterested in who among the candidates can simply understand the tragicequation we’re in and may be able to use the resources of this nationto cross the bridge ahead of us. President Bush was elected before 9/11neither on the grounds of avoiding the Jihadi wars nor winning them.Very few even knew that we were already at war. He was reelected on theground of being a better choice than the defeatist politicalalternative. This year I suggest that Americans deserve a more daringchoice. They need to see and certify that the next occupant of theWhite House lives on this Planet, at this age, knows that we are at warand above all knows which war we are fighting. The margin of error istoo slim to allow hesitations.

By 2012 the Jihadists may recruit one million suicide bombers and couldalign two nuclear powers. By 2016 they would deploy 10 million suicidebombers and seize five regimes equipped with the final weapon. In thenext eight years NATO’s European membership could be battling urbanintifadas and US task forces lacking shelters worldwide. To avoid theseprospects of apocalypse the offices on Pennsylvania Avenue must catchup with the lost opportunities as of next winter.

Thus, andunlike traditional commentators in classical US politics I am notlooking at who said what and who flipped flopped when. Frankly, itdoesn’t matter at this stage if it is a he or a she, of this or otherrace, of this or other church, and if the President is single, has alarge family or has divorced twice. The stakes are much higher than thesweet but irrelevant American usual personality debate. I want to knowif the candidates are strong willed, smart, educated about the world,informed about the threat, can define it, can identify it, can fightit, are not duped by their bureaucracy, cannot be influenced by foreignregimes, have the right advisors, can run an economy while commanding awar and still see the threats as they handle daily crisis and takedrastic measures as the hard times are approaching. I want to know ifthe candidates are very specific when they inform their public aboutthe menace. Yes, it is indeed a vital function of national securitythat we need to insure for the next few years, so that all other issuescan be addressed thoroughly. In short I don’t want to see the fall ofConstantinople being repeated on these shores in the next decade ortwo. Humanity will not recover from such a disaster.

Dr. Phares discusses the qualifications of the four remaining contenders for President, two Democrats, two Republicans.  "I am looking at the scariest item on any Presidential agenda and check out if they are conscious about it: national security."  Here is his conclusion:

This is why I have come to the conclusion that -based on what wasprovided to the public by the four leading candidates- Governor Romneyhas the capacity of managing the counter strategies against theJihadists, only because he stated to the public that he sees the enemyas to who they are. And if a President can see them, he can defeatthem. His Republican contender, now leading the polls, can sense thembut haven’t shown them. The leading candidates on the other side aremaking progress in the opposite direction: One wants to end the Warunilaterally and the other wants to make Peace with the oppressors. Inshort, if elected, Romney will try to destroy the mother ship, McCainwill supply the trenches, Clinton will pull the troops back to thebarracks and Obama will visit the foes’ bunkers.

Hence, asis, I have recommended Governor Romney for the Republican Primaries asfirst among equals while considering Senator McCain as a genuineleader. If Romney is selected I believe America may have a chance totry new strategies. If his contender is selected, we will have four oreight more years of the past seven years. On the other side, I havesuggested to counter-Terrorism experts to help Democratic candidatesrestructure their agendas on national security in line with the realityof the enemy: For I would like to see both Parties presenting a unitedvision of the threat while differing on how to confront it. That wouldbe the ideal situation America can be in and a response to the deepestwill of the American public.

I would add that considering John McCain’s position on illegal immigration he is not serious about national security.  He gets A+ on the war in Iraq but national security goes way beyond that.  He has a blind spot when it comes to our borders. 

McCain has also said he would close Guantanamo Bay on his first day in office.  His reasoning for closing Gitmo is reason enough to derail his "Straight Talk" Express: because "there’s a lot of anti-Americanism" around the world.  According to John McCain we should bring a bunch of terrorists to the United States (Ft. Leavenworth to be exact.  Are Kansas voters listening?) so everybody will like us again.  Call it the Mealy-Mouth Express:

John Weaver, Sen McCain’s chief strategist, confirmed his plans for amarkedly more conciliatory foreign policy. "The next president willhave to work extra hard to unite our friends and divide our foes. Sadlythe opposite has occurred in recent years," he said, as Sen McCainaddressed a crowded hall in the farming community of Cedar Falls.

"John believes that you can accomplish a lot more in this world bysticking to your principles, while adopting a much more humble tonewith your partners."

Humble with your partners?  I guess John McCain doesn’t consider U.S. citizens his partners. 

The endorsement by Dr. Phares is significant:

Inshort, if elected, Romney will try to destroy the mother ship, McCainwill supply the trenches, Clinton will pull the troops back to thebarracks and Obama will visit the foes’ bunkers.

Yes, John McCain is a war hero.  That does not automatically make him the best choice for President and Commander-in-Chief of the United States.

Yesterday at a doctor’s office, I was talking to the receptionist, who is a friend, about politics.

Me: Have you decided who you are voting for?

Her: I like Huckabee.

Me: Oh that’s interesting. I always wonder why people like Huckabee.

Her: Well I don’t have any particular reason other than we share the same religion and that’s important to me.

Me: Using that criteria, you’d also vote for Jimmy Carter.

Her: That’s true. I do like McCain too.

Me: Do you like Ted Kennedy?

Her: No he’s terrible.

Me: Did you know McCain is friends with Ted Kennedy?

Her: Really?

Me: Have you heard of the McCain/Kennedy Immigration/Amnesty Bill?

Her: I really need to do more research.

Unfortunately I think that there are too many voters like her making uninformed decisions. Get the word out about Romney. Don’t let people form their views from the bias of the mainstream media.

During the CNN Republican Debate last night, McCain took a cheap shot on virtually every question to insult Romney. He went after “flip-flopping”. He accused Romney of laying people off. He called Romney unqualified to be Commander in Chief. He looked like a fool continuing to insist that Romney wants a time table for troop withdrawal when it was completely clear to everyone there that all the evidence showed otherwise. He used class warfare tactics by telling Romney to spend every dime he had on the election. He complained about all the Romney “attack ads” when it was clear that he was the only one attacking last night. There were so many insults, I can’t remember them all.

The most important factor in the debate last night was that Romney rose above the puerile tactics of McCain. Romney looked Presidential and McCain looked like a cranky old man. Romney defended himself quite well without responding in kind. I commend Romney on his poise and urge him to continue this approach. Romney clearly won the debate last night.

I’m sure you all got this from Mitt today.

“I just want to thank you for being an early supporter of my campaign.

You recognize the importance of electing a Washington outsider with the experience, vision and values to confront our nation’s challenges, and with your help, your fellow Americans are quickly joining our effort.

With Mayor Giuliani’s disappointing finish in the Florida primary – a state where he dedicated most of his time and resources – this race has come down to a contest between me and Senator McCain.

And with victories in Nevada, Michigan, and Wyoming, and strong second-place showings in Florida, Iowa, and New Hampshire, it’s clear that I’m the only candidate with the broad-based support to unite the coalitions within the Republican Party.

You have come through time and again, and now, I must ask for your support at this exciting time. We’ve done so well in the early states, but in just one week, we will face an unprecedented challenge – 21 states will hold their nominating contests!

That’s right. I need the resources necessary to take my message to 21 states in just one week.

If you can contribute $500, $250, $100, $50, even $25 or any amount you can afford, it will be so appreciated and go a long way to clinching the nomination … and then the White House.

I have the energy and the right combination of business background and strong family values and leadership experience. It’s going to take a strong, determined approach to ensure liberal initiatives fail and conservative principles prevail, and our nation heads in a positive direction.

Can I count on you today? Any amount you can give will be so helpful.

Thank you so very much,

P.S. Please contribute $500, $250, $100, $50, even $25 or any amount you can afford. Also, you may ask your friends and family to contribute as well. There’s no better time than the present to make history and keep American moving on a path to strength and prosperity. Thanks again.”

I’m not all gloom and doom about Florida. I was really impressed with how much support Romney picked up in just the last week to make it that close. Sure McCain has a few more delegates at the moment, but Mitt is gaining momentum. Super Tuesday is coming and so are the Red States. Mitt hasn’t had a chance to shine in truly conservative areas yet.

I once again repeat my challenge. Super Tsunami Nuclear Tuesday is coming and this is where we go all in. Mitt needs our help. Again, I ask everyone to match my $25 donation and I will give another $5 for everyone that matches me up to $100. If you can do more than $25, please don’t let me hold you back. Feel free to increase or match my challenge.

We all know that this country needs conservative leadership, not the best friend of Bill, Hillary, and Ted Kennedy. If you believe in Mitt’s leadership the time to act is now. Don’t just sit back and enjoy the ride. If Mitt can donate millions of his own dollars, the least we can do is chip in $25 of our own. Let’s leave it all on the field. It will take a lot of money to counter the mainstream media who are rooting for McCain, and Romney can’t do it all himself!

Now that’s a decisive win. Conservativism is making a comeback. Romney leads the medal count. I will welcome all the Fred supporters with open arms after tonight in SC.

I am going to donate $25 today to Mitt Romney’s campaign. Who is going to match me?

Fortunately for Mitt, the economy has suddenly become the leading issue in the campaign. By starting at $25, I feel that just about everybody should be able to participate. If you are really bold and want to make this a bit more fun, you can enhance the challenge by donating an amount for every person who accepts this challenge.

For each person that matches me, I will add another $5 up to a total of $100.

UPDATE:
Thanks to everyone who accepted my challenge! I was great to see the starving students and first time contributors get involved. We had 9 people accept the challenge so that puts me in for another $45. My $70 plus the $230 donated by others makes $300 for Mitt. Not bad for one little blog post. I may just issue another challenge before Super Tuesday! I hope to get an even bigger turnout.

I am going to donate $25 today to Mitt Romney’s campaign. Who is going to match me?

Fortunately for Mitt, the economy has suddenly become the leading issue in the campaign. By starting at $25, I feel that just about everybody should be able to participate. If you are really bold and want to make this a bit more fun, you can enhance the challenge by donating an amount for every person who accepts this challenge.

For each person that matches me, I will add another $5 up to a total of $100.

UPDATE:
Thanks to everyone who accepted my challenge! I was great to see the starving students and first time contributors get involved. We had 9 people accept the challenge so that puts me in for another $45. My $70 plus the $230 donated by others makes $300 for Mitt. Not bad for one little blog post. I may just issue another challenge before Super Tuesday! I hope to get an even bigger turnout.

Come on Michigan, make it happen!