Posted by
The Conservative Manifesto on Wednesday, January 02, 2008 4:33:59 PM
Mine.
This may come as no shock to regular readers of The
Conservative Manifesto, but today I announce my official endorsement of
former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for President of the United
States of America in 2008.
Since the creation of Romney's
presidential campaign exploratory committee in early January 2007, I
have followed the former Governor's here at The Conservative Manifesto
- via
Romney Watch 2008 - and in countless hours of personal study.
While
I have certainly dedicated countless hours of research to other
candidates in the race, and followed much of their progress here, I'm
not ashamed to admit that I was intrigued with and perhaps biased
toward Romney from early on.
Hugh Hewitt's book
A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney
certainly helped mold much of my confidence in the former
bluest-of-blue-state governor, but many other events certainly have
done the same.
From Romney's articulate
debate performances, to the
"off the record" defense of his faith.
From
Romney's conservative manifesto, to his brilliant
Faith in America speech.
And beyond.
Disagreement
with candidates is a vital part of the primary cycle. There isn't a
candidate - or any elected official, for that matter - with which I do
not have disagreement. However, of the top tier candidates (Romney,
Giuliani, McCain, and now Huckabee) I find myself disagreeing with Mitt
Romney far less than the others.
Don't get me wrong, I would be
happy to support the presidential nomination of other top candidates,
but I have yet to be convinced that any one of the them would make a
stronger president than Mitt Romney.
On the experience one needs
to successfully run the greatest enterprise in the world, I am
convinced Romney's resume far exceeds that of any other candidate.
From Romney's brilliant management of Bain & Company and Bain Capital, to the astounding
turnaround story that was the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
From Romney's
conservative governorship of perhaps the most liberal state in the union, to the character and moral courage shown in his personal family life.
And beyond.
Aside from ideological alignment and experience, there is of course the all-important "electability" factor.
I disagree strongly with some of my
favorite bloggers and talking heads who subscribe to the notion that a Hillary nomination can only be defeated by a Giuliani nod.
I
believe when given the choice between an articulate and politically
savvy conservative governor, and a pseudo-socialist, far-left Democrat
senator like Hillary, the majority of voting Americans will cast their
rods over the right side of the boat.
Mitt Romney has the record, the experience, and the organization to run this nation splendidly in the coming years.
That, in a nutshell, is why this conservative is compelled to give his official endorsement to Mitt Romney.