NEW YORK, June 6 (UPI) -- Conservative columnist David French will not run for president, he told readers Sunday.
French had been the man fellow conservative Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol has tried to recruit to run against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. French, however, has chosen to stay out of the race, like many other conservatives, despite their dislike of Trump and Clinton, have also chosen to do.
The columnist for the National Review is also an Iraq War veteran, and constitutional lawyer who was a surprising pick, due to his lack of name recognition. But he told readers in his column the choice was difficult but that he was "not the right person for the effort."
"I gave it serious thought — as a pretty darn obscure lawyer, writer, and veteran — only because we live in historic times," French said. "Never before have both parties failed so spectacularly, producing two dishonest, deceitful candidates who should be disqualified from running for town council, much less leader of the free world."
He went on to denounce both Trump and Clinton as dishonest and said that politics has made it so that "even good men have reduced themselves to excusing the inexcusable and defending the indefensible."
French then threw his endorsement behind 2012 Republican nominee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, but also said, "I believe others could run and win, and would make excellent presidents."
