As the story goes, Mitt Romney didn't make the decision to suspend his campaign until he was writing his CPAC speech. While in a strategy meeting on Wednesday he mentioned that he didn't want to do anything that would harm the country. This was the first sign that he was considering dropping out. As he wrote the speech, when he got to the parts about the war on terror, he began to change the tone of the speech. It began to be about ending his campaign. He consulted his family about his decision and on Thursday morning, moments before he gave his speech, the media broke the story.

In fact, it was so unexpected that Romney's supporters in the room didn't even know about it. Laura Ingraham, who introduced Romney at CPAC found out only ten minutes prior to giving her introduction speech. Once again, nothing about this election cycle is predictable or certain, except perhaps that John McCain will be the Republican nominee for president.

Many of Romney's long-time supporters, and his newly found converts, were angry at the news. Others were speechless. This was by far his best speech of the campaign, and some have contested that it was one of the best political speeches of the past fifteen to twenty years.

Romney's 2008 political, death-bed confession revealed who he really was and what he really believed. It was very different form the debate performances and stump speeches. People wondered where this Romney was a week ago, or even a year ago. Had they seen this Romney, they would have rallied to him before this happened. But this is how politics goes.

What went wrong for Romney? Authenticity. It was what everyone had been saying for a long time. Romney seemed to be holding back on what he was most passionate about, and he got a late start on focusing on his strengths as a candidate. Those who follow the issues closely have been riding with him for a long time, but he couldn't connect with the average voter. Romney, in some ways, is a political newcomer. It was one of his strengths, but in this case, it was also his weakness. He never showed his real self and personality until the end.

What went right? Well, for one, he left on a high note. Most of talk radio and some key conservative congressional figures have endorsed him. His passion, humility, self sacrifice, and patriotism are still lauded. People were drawn to the speech and are already hoping he will return for 2012. It was at CPAC, and there could have been no better place for a future conservative movement leader to speak. In fact, after Thursday's speech, other well known conservatives essentially welcomed him into the "club."

I think the most important things about the speech are probably things that Romney was not consciously aware of as he made his decision. For one, it puts the ball in McCain's and Huckabee's courts. Huckabee has been seen as trying to get McCain's VP slot, and could stand accused of being in collusion with McCain for trying to bump off the true conservative in the campaign. But if Huckabee stays in, he will be guilty of what Romney feared he would cause; the prolonging of the Republican general campaign, a Democrat victory, the withdrawal of troops, and the strengthening of terrorists.

McCain, however, is made to look like a liar. It was McCain who tried to tell us all that Romney was for timed withdrawal from Iraq, and he consistently lied about it. He even went so far as to call Romney unpatriotic over Romney's comments about Bob Dole's letter to Rush Limbaugh. Now that Romney has ended his campaign because of his desire for a safe and secure America, it underscores the idea that McCain lied for political expediency. Romney has come away as the hero, even in his political defeat.

What's next for Romney? Some think he'd make a great VP for McCain. Although it sounds great, McCain is too prideful to allow Romney on his ticket, and Romney may even benefit from not being a part of his administration. One thing is for certain, he isn't going away. He'll most likely be visible by campaigning for Republican senators and governors. And CPAC may invite him to speak again next year. His options are wide open and I suspect he will only get more popular and stronger.

What's next for us? Well, like Romney, our options are open. The future of the country is up to us. We will have to vote for McCain, but the 2010 midterm elections are coming up, and it's up to us elect strong, conservative Republicans to Congress. We have a lot of work to do.

It looks to me that Romney has set a little spark in the Republican party. Even though the future with McCain's administration is uncertain, Romney's example gives a silver lining. Kind of the way Reagan inspired conservatives in 1976. Conservatives are not going away, especially in this time of war. There are two fronts: the War on Extremist Jihadists, and the War on Extremist Liberals.