A setback for Romney is seen as a foundation for future role in party

David Sargent and his granddaughter, Elizabeth, 3, awaited the appearance of former candidate Mitt Romney at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington yesterday. (STEVE HELBER/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Although Mitt Romney abruptly pulled the plug on his 2008 presidential ambitions yesterday, his appearance before a national conservative gathering clearly signaled that he wants to be part of the Republican Party's future.

The question is, where does he fit?

"His speech made it clear that he is keeping his options open in terms of assuming some future role in the years to come," said Rob Gray, a Massachusetts Republican strategist who advised George W. Bush on his 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns.

Analysts yesterday said that the former Massachusetts governor's success in establishing himself as a serious presidential contender has given him a foundation to build upon. Romney's impassioned speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he announced he was leaving the campaign trail, left little doubt that he will stick around.

The speech contained a strong appeal to the conservative base that dominates GOP presidential primary politics. Indeed, he hit hard at the conservative themes, painting liberals as too weak to battle terrorism and as the source of the attacks on the nation's family and cultural values.

"His campaign spent about $100 million, and the reward for that is that Romney did establish himself as a national player in the Republican Party," said Gray, who worked as a consultant in this year's presidential campaign for both John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.

With Republicans facing a tough fight to hold onto the White House, Romney's option may well be the 2012 presidential race. He would be 65, which in modern political times is still a viable age to run for president. McCain turns 72 in August.

"I think he is going to keep that option open and remain visible," said Jeffrey M. Berry, a political science professor at Tufts University. "There's a good chance a Democrat will be elected. He is going to be up front and center in Republican Party politics."

Choosing not to carry out a long bloody battle for every delegate between now and the Republican convention and instead opting to make a graceful exit angered some of those who have stood by him and labored hard in his campaign. One Romney campaign source who requested anonymity said his staff and advisers were deeply divided over the decision.

But for Romney, the experienced businessmen who can read numbers and understand risks, the larger picture is keeping his political viability alive.

The immediate question is what other role can he play. One could be the GOP's vice presidential nominee, but that is the decision of the presidential nominee. Romney and McCain, who appears to be on the verge of claiming the nomination, have clashed in debates, and the tensions between the two are evident.

Those hard feelings will be a major obstacle to Romney's landing a spot on the 2008 ticket, Berry said. "There is bad blood between the two."

But pointing out that history is marked by tickets that were cobbled together with political figures who disdain each other, Berry said: "Politics makes strange bedfellows. . . . It will take a while before McCain reaches out to Romney to bring him back into the party."

Another argument against Romney's appearing on the GOP ticket as a vice presidential nominee: Coming from a state that votes reliably for Democrats in presidential elections, he does not naturally help McCain's chances in November.

One thing appears clear from Romney's decision over how to bow out: US Senator John F. Kerry can rest comfortable that the former venture capitalist, who shows no compunction about digging deep into his fortune to finance his campaigns, has no intention of running against him this year.

By making the speech and choosing the venue he did, Romney - whose popularity has declined in Massachusetts since he has moved from a moderate Republican to a hard-core conservative - showed clearly he has no intention of swerving back to the political middle, where he would have to be if he wanted to challenge Kerry.

"I don't see him doing that under any circumstances," Gray said. "His political goals lie well beyond Massachusetts at this point. That speech was directed at the national political scene, not the Massachusetts political scene."