He was against McCain before he was for him

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Mitt Romney, that is, who officially endorsed John McCain yesterday afternoon in Boston: "I am honored today to give my full support to Sen. McCain's candidacy for the presidency of the United States."

Big deal. What else was Romney going to do? Not support the presumptive GOP nominee? After all, Romney may be looking ahead to 2012 or 2016. McCain may not be a terribly popular choice among conservatives, but loyalty to the party is what seems to count most among most Republicans come election time, and it may eventually be Romney's turn to benefit from such loyalty -- and to reap the benefits from being a loyal party guy now.

So why did Romney endorse McCain? To heal the party and, as he put it in his appalling CPAC address, to unite the party early in preparation for the general election campaign against the Dems. He's simply taking one for the team, or at least making it look that way, while endorsing the winner -- hardly a courageous or risky move.