Posted on 12/20/2007 4:11:53 PM PST by pissant
DES MOINES -- Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., ended his bid for the presidency just two weeks before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses Thursday, handing fellow Congressman Duncan Hunter a loss and giving Mitt Romney a gain.
Tancredo announced Thursday afternoon what many speculated -- he's stopping his efforts to seek the Oval Office.
Tancredo then endorsed Republican Romney.
"Congressman Tancredo ran a spirited campaign focused on issues that are important to many Americans," Romney said. "I thank him for his support. While we don’t agree on every issue, we agree on the need to keep America strong. I look forward to working with him and other Republicans to achieve that end."
That move surprised many Republican insiders, who thought the congressman might swing his support to Fred Thompson. Thompson was endorsed Monday by Iowa Congressman Steve King, a close friend of Tancredo's. King also weighed in on Tancredo's decision, and praised his efforts in moving the illegal immigration debate.
"The measure of his success is in the platforms of every Republican candidate and even in that of the Democrats," King said. "No candidate has had so profound an effect on any public policy of America. Every Republican has taken the no amnesty pledge and adopted a tough-on-illegal-immigration stance. Tom Tancredo has been so successful that much his political capital has been co-opted by his opponents."
However, Hunter may have been surprised about the Romney endorsement. Just two hours earlier at an IowaPolitics.com-Drake University forum in Des Moines, Hunter's Iowa campaign director Greg Grant said Tancredo had a gentleman's agreement with the fellow congressman.
"I believe his departure will benefit Duncan Hunter the most," Grant said a couple hours before the Tancredo announcement. "Duncan and Congressman Tancredo had a gentlemen's agreement if one of them backed out they would support the one that is still in the race. When you look at Tancredo's objective as far as immigration, Duncan is right in line with Tom Tancredo's issue."
Tancredo has been very critical of the Republican's stance on illegal immigration and said it was a driving factor why he entered the race.
"For the past 10 years I have dedicated my public life to the critical issue of illegal immigration," Tancredo said. "I believed then –as I do now—that massive uncontrolled illegal immigration threatens our survival as a nation. I could not stand by and let open border politicians and corporate lobbyists sell our country out to the highest bidder. Then earlier this year when I feared that the issue would not be championed by any of the top candidates I threw my hat in the ring. It was the only way I could be certain that the candidates would be forced to take a stand."
Tancredo has been very critical of national frontrunner Rudy Giuliani about his stance on illegal immigration. Romney has also criticized the former mayor for allowing New York to be a "sanctuary city."
There was a sense Nov. 13 that Tancredo saw his campaign sinking as he acknowledged he likely wouldn't be elected president. He said Grover Cleveland was the last member of the U.S. House to be elected president.
With the Iowa caucuses just 14 days out, many were curious why Tancredo would pull the plug on his campaign unless he could shape the outcome of the caucus. Romney and Huckabee are locked in a tight battle for the Jan. 3 title, and one Republican insider thinks that endorsement could make a difference with Tancredo supporters who closely follow the immigration issue.
Obviously, some behind the scenes negotiating between Tancredo and Romney, to get a promise of an important appointment in Romney’s administration (IF it happens). There is no other reason to swing to a RINO.
Tancredo has obviously concluded that neither Hunter or Thompson have the campaigning ability to beat Huckabee. He therefor has endorsed Romney in the hopes of stopping the Huckster.
I might not be happy with his analysis - I want Fred to win - but it seems an obvious ploy to me.
I just tuned in and it has been all Duncan Hunter.
Bttt!
Hasn’t anyone seen Romney’s appearance on Meet The Press? He’s for and against abortion, for and against higher taxation, for and against foreign intervention and for and against illegal immigration. The man is the epitome of a soul-less USED CAR SALESMAN who refuses to stand firm on ANYTHING. If he ran with John Edwards as a running mate you’d be hard put to find any differences in their behavior. America deserves better than rejects from REMAX.
Up till now I was a huge fan of Tancredo since I heard him speak to a concerned citizens group about five years back. Until now he walked the walk that backed up the talk. I can only wonder what’s going on behind the scenes to compromise the man who epitomized uncompromising values. It’s patently obvious that he should have thrown his support to Thompson (the Bitter Medicine Express!) or Hunter rather than the unsolidified clay that is Mitt.
I’m thinking that Tanc made a deal with Mitt to help finance Tanc’s sentate run. It’s also possible that Tanc thinks he could be effective with a cabinet post.
As for me, I disagree with Tanc and will continue to support my guy till he tells me not to.
Moronic.
It'd be nice to see Tom in charge of the DHS.
Rejects from CarMax. Caught up in the moment.
Thanks
The only difference between Huckster and Romney is the accent.
Check out my definition of “front runner”
Every time I see that Joe Isuzu creep Romney, I feel like I need a shower. At least the Clintons had the common courtesy to run as Democrats.
I think there is probably a little unknown issue called “immigration” that just might be the one that Romney is referring here to, with respect to he and Tanc not being on the same page.
And, as everyone knows, this whole thing at the end of the day is JUST ABOUT WINNING, nothing else!
That is why we in the GOP chose a "WINNER" in 2000 over everyone else.
We got the Great president, GWB. He won it for us.
And we have had excellent enforcement of our borders for seven years. After all, this is what winners give us, is national security and sovereignty. Our country is in solid shape, we have seen illegal immigration flow stopped and reversed, and there have been no murders of Americans on our soil by illegal aliens, all under the leadership of our "winner."
I see your logic. Count me on board.
Joe Isuzu - you nailed it! You’d think that America got enough of that after Bill Clinton...
But P.T. Barnham may have been correct and America may well deserve the government it elects. Damned shame we have to live with their ADD-addled choices.
Bay Buchanan, Pat’s sister, Tancredo’s campaign manager and a convert to the LDS church, convinced Tanc to turn his back on his “gentlemen’s agreement” with Hunter and endorse Romney.
This was explained by Marc Ambinder in his column yesterday in The Atlantic.
Tanc has always been the loosest cannon on the conservative ship, as he keeps reminding us from time to time. This is one of those times...
A ‘gentleman’s agreement’ isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
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