"Even though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign. You are with me all the way to the convention. Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976. But there is an important difference from 1976: Today we are a nation at war.
"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign, and, frankly, I would be making it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.
"This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends, and our supporters, many of you right here in this room, have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming president. If this were only about me, I'd go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country."
