When Fred Thompson dropped out of the race the conservatives found that the only candidate they agreed with was Mitt Romney, but Huckabee and his supporters made darn sure that a Mormon wasn't going to get the nomination. Now, in all reality, it's going to be McCain as the nominee. When Mitt Romney realized that he could not win the nomination he bowed out, with a lot more grace than most politicians have, and to the dismay of some conservatives, he had endorsed John McCain.

There is much conservatives don't like about Senator McCain. McCain/ Kennedy, McCain/ Feingold, his desire to close gitmo, his ideas on global warming, his opposition to the Bush tax cuts(which he now says he will vote to make permanent) but Romney did the right thing. He did the right thing for the party, and for the country. Ronald Reagan said there was an eleventh commandment: thou shalt not speak badly about another Republican. Reagan, as it has been pointed out, supported Gerald Ford in 1976 when he was denied the nomination.

The GOP is fighting at a disadvantage this year. The conservatives are still sulking about deviations in political orthodoxy, while the Democrats are excited, giving money, and voting in much higher numbers. It's usually very hard for a party to hold onto the White House after they've held it for eight years already. Given that, the GOP can't afford a civil war.

Conservatives, like myself, have disagreements with McCain. To be honest we had disagreements with President Bush as well. Compassionate conservatism was just big government with a new name, but conservatives voted for him regardless. Ronald Reagan raised taxes on occasion, signed an amnesty, and appointed two moderates to the Supreme Court, and he's the patron saint of conservatism.

If McCain has the ability to give conservatives heartburn imagine seeing Senator Clinton or Senator Obama taking the oath of office, having a Democratic congress to rubber stamp everything they want, appointing a couple of left wing justices to the court, and socializing large parts of the economy.

Better to have a Republican with you have a few disagreements, than a Democrat with who you have no agreements at all. McCain might not be perfect, but who is? McCains strengths should lead us to vote for him. His strengths on the war, national security, trade, and abortion should make him the obvious choice. A conservative boycott would only allow policies they hate to become law. Any progress we've made would be undone with a Democrat in the White House. The war would be abandoned and we would be left vulnerable to terrorist attack, taxes would skyrocket, the ban on partial birth abortion would be overturned, and every conservative cause would find itself in serious trouble. '

Conservatives pride themselves on being mature, the adults in American politics. It's time to act like it. Barry Goldwater told conservatives to grow up after he lost the 1964 election. It's good advice. Mitt Romney knew it was time to go forward, it's time for us to go forward as well.