Perhaps even more notable, a growing consensus seems to be emerging among conservative opinion-shapers in the media – including many who have not been friendly toward Romney – that the party should essentially resign itself to his nomination and move forward. Several have done this even while writing that a Romney candidacy may be doomed to defeat.
To wit, conservative columnist George Will – one of Romney’s toughest critics on the right - drew attention last week for a piece that argued Republicans should turn their attention away from the presidential contest altogether, and focus instead on retaining the House and winning the Senate.
The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol - another Romney critic, who has repeatedly called for a new candidate to get into the race - responded by arguing the White House was too important to just write off, and he indicated that his own reluctance to get behind Romney early on would not prevent him from backing the former Massachusetts governor in the future:
“If some of us have resisted Romney inevitability, or an early Romney coronation, it’s because we don’t think that Romney’s nomination—or at least his easy and early nomination—would increase Republican chances of winning the presidency. Others differ on these questions. But whatever differences conservatives have in March about candidates, strategy and tactics should not affect our determination in the fall, when there is a Republican nominee, to turn our energies to defeating President Obama.”
