It has never been more obvious. Sanford is gone (I don’t think he had a chance anyway from what I’ve heard from some South Carolinians). Ensign is gone. Huckabee is now a pundit. Jon Huntsman is now the Ambassador to China. Bobby Jindal seems to have no interest in a 2012 presidential run. And now, I agree with Erick: Sarah Palin will not be President in 2012. Tim Pawlenty is the only person I know of that could come close to challenging Romney in the primaries.

Romney is easily the best-positioned, the most well-funded, the most articulate choice we have left for 2012. Those who ridiculed Romney in 2008 must take a second look at him now. Those who refuse will do so at their own peril. No Fred Thompson, no Rudy Giuliani, no Ron Paul or any other dark horse or candidate we beg to come out of the woodwork and save us.

Now let me be clear, I like Sarah Palin. I always have. I think she’s a star of our party. She’s incredibly intelligent, very tenacious and an excellent governor. I do believe this was an unfortunate move for her. But if it was not clear before, it definitely is now: Mitt Romney must be our nominee in 2012.

Once again, I find myself at odds with the Directors. I like Cantor and I personally think he’d be great as a VP, but I don’t know if he’s got enough of the resources or name-recognition that people are looking for. Same for Pawlenty.

Romney, though a staunch rival of McCain in the primaries, was rather gracious in his CPAC concession, which is something McCain might appreciate more than we realize. Plus, Karl Rove, the reason President Bush is still in office, is pushing for Romney.

I don’t think paranoia of Huckabee-frenzied evangelicals be much of a detractor for Romney. Besides, it’d be much better than Ridge or Lieberman. Money could be a two-edged sword for Romney though, considering it would be a tremendous benefit for McCain fundraising-wise and a negative in the “multiple houses” column.

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