I'm here at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference, where I rubbed shoulders with I'm here at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference, where I rubbed shoulders with Michelle Malkin (literally, she was going into the women's room as I was leaving), and where Mitt Romney just announced he is "suspending" his campaign. There was a rumor going around shortly before his 12:30 speech that this would happen (conveyed to me by the blogger MyManMitt), but many of the Romney supporters in the packed-to-capacity ballroom seemed genuinely surprised and disappointed. After running through his litany of problems with liberals, from "moral degradation" to the ridiculous claim that government "bureaucrats" make more money than those in the private sector, Romney climaxed* with the accusation that Obama and Clinton (or rather "Barack and Hillary," as he disrespectfully referred to them) have made their intentions in Iraq and the "war on terror" clear: "retreat, declare defeat." And this, Romney proclaimed to great audience enthusiasm, would result in "devastating consequences," including "attacks on America. About this I have no doubt . . . In this time of war, I cannot let my campaign be an aid in the surrender to terror." As the press was stampeding out of the room in search of Wi-Fi that worked, I ran into Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research Council, who had taken a leave of absence last year to work on the Huckabee campaign. Yoest, accompanied by her very cute kid bedecked in Huckabee gear, was upbeat and had nothing but kind words for Romney. "Classy," she said, echoing what a lot of other people were saying. ("Classy?" Oh. What about Laura Ingraham, who introduced Romney, and who insisted that the "endless obsession with bipartisan compromises does not keep us free,” an obvious jab at McCain.) Yoest added that she thought Romney was right on in his evaluation of the wars. It's still not clear what Romney's going to do with his delegates, or whether his "suspending" his campaign leaves an opening for a return. But Yoest seemed cheerful that now it's just a two-man race, and she affirmed that Huckabee is in for the long haul. When I asked her what she thought about a possible VP slot for Huckabee, she asked, "what do you think?" "You'd know better than I would," I replied, and she shrugged, smiling away. The other rumor circulating is that McCain has a "surprise" in his 3:00 speech. Pray to the Wi-Fi gods for me. * I feel free to make the sexual innuendo, since Romney, when talking about McCain's larger number of delegates, said "size does matter." --Sarah Posner
