Former president Bush, Romney back McCain

February 16, 2008

Former President George H. W. Bush is reported to have offered his endorsement to Senator John McCain in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. This comes as former Presidential candidate and Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney announced his support for McCain on Friday after a bitter primary battle with the Senator, which ended after Romney exited the race following less than stellar results on Super Tuesday.

Romney, who once referred to McCain as a "liberal Democrat", had a change of heart as he stood by the Senator's side and described McCain as "...a man capable of leading our country at a dangerous hour." McCain accepted the endorsement and thanked the governor. Romney will hand McCain the 280 delegates he won while participating in primaries and caucuses during his campaign.

The endorsement from the 83-year-old former president and father of current President Bush ends his official neutrality on the 2008 presidential race. However, a correlation may exist from the proximity of the endorsements as the Washington Post reports that Bush gave "indications" earlier in the race that he was on Romney's side, citing the facts that many Bush aides worked for Romney and that Romney's 2007 "Faith in America" speech was set at the George H. W. Bush presidential library. Nevertheless, the backing marks the second from a former President in the 2008 race, assuming that Bill Clinton supports his wife, Hillary.