Speaking before a favorable audience at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) meeting earlier today, GOP Presidential wanna-be Mitt Romney in effect declared peace in his contest with Arizona Senator McCain.

Romney Suspends Presidential Campaign

Mitt Romney suspended his faltering presidential campaign on Thursday, effectively sealing the Republican presidential nomination for John McCain. “I must now stand aside, for our party and our country,” Romney told conservatives.

“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 told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

The big question left on the table at this point is how much of the true conservative core of the GOP (including the Chief!) will be able to hold their nose and support the Candidate-apparent McCain. Time will tell. Far be it from this humble blogger to venture a guess on THAT one, given that he doesn’t even know yet her HE stands on the question.

At any event, Romney’s exit remarks can do nothing but reinforce a positive position for him in the party, and may be a (hopeful) indication that he’s keeping thoughts of the future on the back burner. Frankly, the Chief hopes that this is the case, especially after reading the full text of his CPAC statement. Check it out for yourself.