Chris Cilizza as an interesting story in the Washington Post in which some Romney supporters are openly wondering if the Republican Party needs to be wiped out in 2012 in order to win big in 2016.

“I’d personally enjoy all the ‘we can’t nominate another Republican In Name Only’ crowd getting a stomping by an incumbent with an 8.5 unemployment rate,” said one senior party strategist, granted anonymity to speak candidly, warning of nominating a strictly conservative candidate like former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum.

My only wonder is if this is a two way street. Because the party is finally deciding to rally to Mitt Romney. I suspect he will win Ohio and, with it, he will begin wrapping up the nomination. And then I think we will see the Democrats unleash unmitigated hell on him in a way in which the GOP is ill prepared.

The Mormon Church will be the first major attack. Then Bain Capital and all the individuals who blame Mitt Romney for their unemployment. Then we’ll get into Romney’s flip-flops. Etc. Etc. Etc. It will be nasty. It will be ugly. And Romney will be left to complain about just how unfair it is that the media isn’t paying as much attention to what Barack Obama’s policies have done to the nation.

And he will lose unless the economy, driven by gas prices and Europe, begins to decline again.

So I hope this is a two way street. If Romney gets stomped by an incumbent with an 8.5% unemployment rate, I hope we can be rid of him and people who give the Washington Post these sorts of quotes.

Of course, then there are people like me who are pretty sure that as much as Romney will struggle against the President, why yes, Rick Santorum would be toast too. We are going against the second coming of Jimmy Carter battling to find the tallest midget to put up against him.