By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

Posted Feb. 8, 2008 – The dueling Democratic frontrunners now have to decide whether to continue the “beat down” on each other or move on to the inevitable Republican nominee, John McCain. That’s a tough call, but with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney out of the race, it’s time to a decide.
          Romney, the main Republican challenging McCain, announced his decision during a scheduled speech to the Conservative Action Conference in Washington.  The folks attending expected to hear his pledge to fight on. Instead, Romney dropped the bomb that he was “suspending” his campaign.
          “I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America,” he said. “I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.”
          The folks in the Omni Hotel weren’t the only ones surprised by the announcement.  I received his public appearance schedule via e-mail from the campaign for an event in Baltimore that evening that was quickly cancelled.
          But Romney’s departure has less impact on the Republican race and more impact on Democrats.    Republicans know how to close ranks, and they will around the indisputable frontrunner, McCain of Arizona. 
          McCain can now coast his way to the nomination, and focus his attention on wooing the conservative base, without wasting energy countering a tough Republican rival.  But things are different for senators Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who are still in battle for delegates. 
          While they are in a dead heat for state delegates, Clinton leads Obama with “super delegates,” which are made up of elected officials who’ll commit at the Democratic Convention.  The last thing the Dems want to do is have the nominee decided behind closed doors, by other elected politicians.
          This week Clinton disclosed that she loaned her campaign $5 million leading into Super Tuesday. She’s also stepped up her demand that Obama do more debates. Some political insiders say this is her attempt to maximize her own exposure with little financial cost to her campaign. She’s also reduced the role of her political partner President Bill Clinton on the campaign trail; you may have noticed that he’s far less visible these days. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has reported raising $32 million in January and $7 million since Super Tuesday. (Clinton raised $4 million since Tuesday.) Also, while Obama has said he will engage in a  a couple more debates, it’s unlikely that he’s do what he can to aid in Clinton’s need of free exposure. 
          This battle could get bloody for the Dems, if so, the two candidates could defeat themselves before McCain get’s a shot at them.
Romney said his decision to leave the race was necessary to “ensure” that neither Clinton nor Obama gets elected president, already starting to level his partisan attacks.
          Now the Dems will have to figure out how to run this race without destroying each other and alienating each other’s base.  If the last two standing Democrats don’t keep this race clean, it will get ugly at the National Convention in Denver, and the nominee will leave the convention with only half of the party’s support. 
          That won’t be enough to win in November.

 Should Clinton and Obama call a truce and becoming running mates?