What I am about to say will not please many readers, but, in the present circumstances, the best possible outcome of today's GOP primary vote in Iowa would be for Mitt Romney to win and then go on to become nominated as the Republican party candidate for this year's US presidential election.
There is one reason for that, which is that Romney is the only candidate with a reasonable chance of beating Obama, and that is all that matters.
Ron Paul supporters, who view Dr. Paul as the last great chance to save the West, need to wake up to a dose of reality, he might be if he could win, but he can’t win, so he isn’t.
Likewise, members of the “anyone but Romney” brigade need to realise that the only beneficiary of their strategy will be Obama. Not one of the various alternative candidates are serious contenders with the remotest chance of winning in November. Just close your eyes for one moment and try to imagine either Gingrich or Santorum in the White house and the lunacy of that proposition becomes clear. Neither man has the gravitas, or basic attractiveness to appeal to the uncommitted centre and disenchanted Obama supporters who will be essential for victory in the America the Democrats have created.
This is no time for joke candidates. Did they learn nothing from the debacle that was Herman Cain?
As to the other options, Perry briefly looked like a president, but all that fell apart the moment the moment he opened his mouth and although Michelle Bachmann appeared impressive to start with her credibility was swiftly undermined, less by her wild eyes, than by her by her seemingly compulsive proclivity for saying incredibly stupid things.
Romney is the right candidate If America is to survive. He is also the right candidate for Nationalists who need to break a habit of a lifetime and finally unite around someone who can actually win. For too long we have demanded that the "right" leader must have qualities which are almost impossible to achieve. We have to realise that in the real world a cynical and compromised victory is worth a thousand ideologically pure and noble defeats.
Ideological purity is not worth a damn if it can’t achieve power.
Republicans should take a lesson from both the both the British Labour and Tory parties which persisted in appointing ideologically pure losers to lead their parties into electoral defeat. Only blinkered politicians in the Tory party could have imagined that Hague, Duncan-Smith or even Michael Howard were anything other than electoral poison albeit sound on policy.
Likewise, the Labour party had consigned themselves to eighteen years out of power until they eventually bit the bullet and elected the most ideologically impure of candidates Tony Blair. An act which was disastrous for the Britain, but which gave Labour power, and the ability to change the country beyond recognition.
Just imagine what could have been achieved if that power had been used for good.
Thankfully Labour has again embraced defeat with their choice of two more totally useless leaders (the stupidity of choosing the unelectable Miliband brother is risible) the Republicans must not make the same mistake.
If America is to survive and undo that the damage which has been done, it needs to defeat Obama and remove the malevolent Democratic party from power. If the only man who can do that is not ideologically perfect, we are long past the point where that matters.
America, and indeed the West, may not have the time remaining to survive a principled failure.
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Update: From this morning's news I see the latest "Anyone but Mitt" joke candidate managed to force a score draw. It is starting to look more like Obama is safe for another four years every day! If so, America may not survive. Up to you guys!
