To my deep relief, Rick Santorum was thoroughly trounced in Washington state’s caucus. While I am no fan of Mitt Romney’s, Santorum represents everything I dislike in the GOP in one package, and I genuinely fear him as the Republican nominee.
Right now it looks like everything hinges on Ohio on Tuesday. Gingrich is virtually guaranteed to win Georgia. Romney will absolutely win Virginia (only he and Ron Paul are even on the ballot there). Ohio is the biggest prize that’s still open on Tuesday, and while Santorum is leading in Ohio, Romney is eating away that lead.
If Romney wins Ohio, then nothing short of an outright catastrophe will stop him from winning the nomination While I have no great love for Mr. Romney, I view this with great relief; I believe a Santorum nomination would have had the potential to leave gouging wounds in the country in a way that a Romney candidacy won’t. So color me relieved and hopeful. A contest between Romney and Obama in November won’t exactly be fun, but no matter who wins that one, we won’t have a crazed lunatic in the White House.
(This item cross-posted to Dean’s World.)
Dean Esmay is the author of Methuselah’s Daughter. He has contributed to Dean’s World, Huffington Post, A Voice for Men, Pajamas Media. Neither left nor right wing, neither libertarian nor socialist.