Ponnuru on Romney

National Review Senior Editor Ramesh Ponnuru has a piece in the latest National Review in which he declares for Mitt Romney, and in typical Ponnuru fashion, he backs it up with thoughtful writing.  Ponnuru doesn't shy away from considering Romney's weaknesses, but in a comprehensive net assessment of the field, he identifies Mitt as the man for the moment.  Ponurru echoes some things I've said here and elsewhere with a bit of solid thinking:


"On the other hand, there is also something to be said for calculation in a politician. Successful political leaders need to have a realistic sense of what public opinion, and the political system, will bear, a sense cultivated by the habit of calculation. And there is a limit to how much political risk conservatives should want a president allied to them to take. Most of the time conservative activists should be trying to reduce the risks of advancing conservative initiatives rather than to goad elected officials to political recklessness. Conservatives should, that is, point the way for ambitious politicians to advance good ideas that can command the support of a national center-right majority."

Ramesh has it right.  The process will play out, and I don't think it will be a quick one.  But in the end, Republicans will get in line behind Romney--because they don't want a second Obama term.