Dear Mike and Rudy:

Dear Mike and Rudy:

I sit here on the eve of Super Tuesday and I, the Charming Conservative, ask myself over and over and over again, "How did this happen?" How is it possible that the Grand Old Party, the GOP, the republican party of which I have always been an extremely proud card carrying member has made John McCain frontrunner for the GOP nomination? How is it possible that a man so despised by the base of his party has managed to earn frontrunner status?

Oh, there are a number of theories. It all came down to Florida didn't it? That state where after the 2000 election I proclaimed to my husband he could just forget about ever retiring to. No I told him I could never live in a state that in one fell swoop tried to undermine our nation's entire system of elections and shift the power away from the people to the courts. Yes, I've been annoyed with Florida ever since 2000 and then when that same state allowed Terri Schiavo to be murdered by her ex-husband in 2005 well that was just the icing on the cake. The subject was closed and we weren't ever moving to Florida. And then came the Florida primary.

Let's face it John McCain had already been crowned GOP frontrunner even before the Florida primary by the mainstream media and those pesky independent voters in the early primaries. So when January 29th finally arrived, I hoped against hope that the closed primary in Florida would mean advantage Romney. Even if Romney managed to win by only a point or two, I wanted to stop McCain from heading into Super Tuesday saying that he was the choice not just of independent voters and the media but of the republican party as well. And things looked pretty good for Romney in Florida until McCain dropped a little zinger the weekend prior to the vote misrepresenting –no lying about- Romney's position on Iraq war timetables. Romney demanded an apology but it was too late particularly when nearly simultaneously Governor Crist went against his word that he would let the Florida voters vote and endorsed McCain. Many people say that endorsements don't matter but with John McCain the Crist endorsement mattered. McCain went on to beat Romney in Florida---- he did't trounce him like Obama did Hillary in North Carolina. No McCain won by just 5 points with 36% to Romney's 31%. But sadly it was enough.

And then the unthinkable – who said there was no good television this year because of that writer's strike ---you, Mr. Giuliani, can I call you Rudy? You endorsed John McCain that very next day after Florida. Shame on you-- shame on you Rudy for endorsing McCain before Super Tuesday with Arnold Schwarzenegger following right on your heels. It seemed so wrong. It made your entire campaign look like a farce. It made me wonder if your so called Florida strategy had been designed all along to help your good friend John gain momentum for the nomination while you allowed your own position as last summer's frontrunner to freefall and did nothing to stop it. Rumor has it that Fred Thompson may endorse John McCain but will not do so before Super Tuesday. For that I applaud him.

Prior to Fred Thompson finally joining the race all too late last fall, you Rudy had been my first choice but you never showed up. You seemed to be running from the race for President instead of in it. In the post game analysis I heard you were frightened by Romney's money in Iowa. Then frightened once again by the bogus media scandal over your prior accounting & security practices and with Bernie Kerik back in the headlines you ran from New Hampshire. You did campaign hard in Florida but it was evident long before the vote that your eggs in one basket strategy had failed. I want to know Rudy what did John promise you and more importantly when? Some say it's a VP nod. I'm thinking more Attorney General. So yes, Rudy, I'm annoyed with you. Your performance as Mayor of New York City was commendable and you were, are, and always shall be an American hero; nevertheless, I am now really for the first time ever disappointed in you. You have said your supporters were overlapping with Senator McCain's and so it seems you were right as current polls indicate your support has shifted mostly to McCain.

And then there's also ran Mike Huckabee. Mr. Huckabee, you refuse to let these republican primaries be a two-man race knowing that you cannot win. Even John Edwards had the grace to let the democrats have same on the other side of the aisle. Too bad Mr Huckabee you don't have that same sense of grace. And so I have to wonder again Mr. Huckabee what it was that John McCain has promised you since it's clear you are remaining in this race solely as spoiler to Mitt Romney. Looking just today at the state by state polls, there is no doubt Romney would have a better chance of pulling it out on Super Tuesday were it not for the persistent presence of Mike Huckabee. Mr. Hucakbee, the time is now to let your party have a clear choice. The times are just too critical and it has become obvious that were there no Mike Huckabee in this race we would already have had very different outcomes in South Carolina and Florida.

So Rudy when you didn't show up in the race and when Fred Thompson dropped out I embraced Mitt Romney. Romney was doing better and better in debates finally feeling comfortable in his own skin. And as the economy moved to the forefront (since yes the surge is working) I believed this too had to help Romney over the self described weak on economy John McCain. It didn't. So here we are one day before Super Tuesday and what we have is a GOP frontrunner who seemingly earned that status by dividing and conquering his own party. How did he do it? The answer is quite simple really. He did it with the help of his good buds Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee.

And so on Super Tuesday, I am hoping against hope that Romney will benefit from the wrath of conservatives like me. Mark my words Senator McCain may have found a way to win my party's nomination without conservative voters, but I dare him to try to win without us in November. My liberal friend jfxgillis has coined the phrase that names a new movement – "ABM!" – Anyone But Mccain! And with that drumbeat ringing in my ears this Tuesday, Super Tuesday, I will walk into that voting booth and proudly pull the lever for the former Governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Mitt Romney.

Sincerely,

LISAED
The Charming Conservative

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