Update2: Matt Hurley has notified me in comments that while the funding from Romney could be dumped into a national race, it couldn't be dumped into a statewide race.

Update: All the endorsement talk is still up in the air, and the talk is that he would endorse either at CPAC or at a Joint Press Conference in Maryland tonight. According to Malkin, Romney staffers don't know if they're headed to Maryland yet. If he's going, expect an announcement.

The race for the Republican nomination is now effectively over, and I'll be casting both my primary ballot and my general ballot for Senator John McCain. Governor Mitt Romney has exited the race. The only Republican choices left are an isolationist nutball, a man who called our foreign policy an arrogant bunker mentality, and a pro-victory Hawk. Yes, McCain has his flaws, but he's the best left for the job, period. FOX News has the story and Romney's reasoning:

Mitt Romney suspended his presidential campaign Thursday, telling a stunned conservative group that continuing his uphill battle against John McCain would hurt the Republican Party and make it more likely that the Democratic candidate would win the general election in November.

“If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention … I’d forestall the launch of a national campaign and frankly I’d be making make it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win,” Romney told the Conservative Political Action Conference. “Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.”

Will McCain, who has been battling Romney, accept Romney's endorsement should he choose to give it? Absolutely. That's the unconfirmed rumor of course, raising speculations of Romney appearing somewhere on the ticket. By suspending his campaign and not dropping entirely, he can continue raising money, which would be dumped into a McCain/Romney campaign fund, or a future Gubernatorial run should he choose to run... somewhere. The second appears to be more reasonable to me if Romney's pursuing the nomination in the future. Michigan, anyone? Michelle Malkin liveblogged Romney's speech:

If I fight on in my campaign all the way to the convention, I want you to know that I forestall the launch of a national campaign.

“NOOOOO!”

Frankly in this time of a war, I cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

This isn’t an easy decision. I hate to lose.

Governor Romney, you forced John McCain to shift rightward on a number of major issues, possibly creating a McCain Conservatives could vote for. In addition, you set yourself up for a future run, or possibly (I wouldn't rank the probabilities high), a Vice Presidential bid. Thank you Mitt.