( dpa )- Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday endorsed his former rival John McCain for the Republican nomination, setting aside weeks of bitter campaigning.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, withdrew from the race last week, citing the need for the party to unify behind one candidate in order to beat the Democrats in November 4 general elections.
He urged the delegates to the party's convention in September that he won in early contests to instead back McCain.
"Things can get pretty rough in a political campaign, and in the thick of the fight it's easy to lose sight of your opponent's finer qualities," Romney said in a press conference with McCain in Boston.
"But the truth of the matter is that in the case of Senator McCain I could never quite do that. Even when the contest was close and our disagreements were debated, the caliber of the man was apparent."
He lauded the former prisoner of war for his experience in the Vietnam War, saying he was the best suited to lead the US through the conflict in Iraq and criticizing Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for their plans to withdraw.
"John McCain's greatest test was long ago, but the loyalty and love of country and strength of heart that saw him through are still the qualities that define him," Romney said.
Romney, a millionaire businessman who partly paid for his own campaign, has been McCain's main competitor, drawing conservative voters who were suspicious of the Arizona senator's independent streak and his centrist public image.
"Governor Romney will help me draw the stark differences that exist between myself and the things that he and I stand for and believe in and the Democratic candidates" on the Iraq war, health care and taxes, McCain said.
