Ross Douthat is right to say that the much-maligned Republican primary voters do seem to be resigned to nominating the last-implausible candidate from what he rightly calls “a roster of retreads, mediocrities, and cable-news candidates.” What he doesn’t mention is that, as the price for a plurality of their votes, Romney has been forced to become far more implausible than he was four years ago.
This is a party that desperately needs a decade or so in the wilderness.