TPM Reader JB ...

I agree that Romney’s reasoning for leaving the race is transparently phony, and I hope you keep harping on its absurdity. He is now of course obligated to campaign with all his heart for McCain, and as you mentioned, his sons should enlist.

But today Romney was, as Stephanie Miller likes to say, “on fire.” He left his dullness and “Ken doll” image behind and really gave a dynamic speech. Totally flawed, but dynamic. I wonder if he’d let that style emerge more when he was still running, he might not have had to quit. Just a thought...

I basically agree. He had none of Mitt's trademark animatronic qualities. But I think this is something you often see when a candidate packs it in. They suddenly get at least somewhat phony and stilted. Ironically in Mitt's case he was able to finally break free of his staged mannerisms and cut loose his inner phony conservative.