Number two isn’t good enough for Mitt Romney, who has bowed out of the Republican presidential race. His departure two days after Super Tuesday’s second-place finish to GOP frontrunner John McCain, was a surprise to some, but not everyone.

The former Massachusetts governor made the announcement just after noon in Washington, D.C., in an address before the Conservative Political Action Conference. “This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose,” said Romney. I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country,” he said.

McCain reacted by congratulating Romney on running a “spirited campaign,” and invited Romney’s supporters to support him.

Political observers are saying Romney’s decision virtually seals the 2008 Republican presidential nomination for McCain, but third-place contender Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, says don’t count him out just yet. “This is a two-man race for the nomination, and I am committed to marching on,” Huckabee said in a statement.

Texan Ron Paul is also showing no signs of stepping aside. His website shows more than $5 million in his campaign chest.