Santorum drops out

So, Rick Santorum has called it quits and abandoned his quest for the nomination. The decision effectively makes Romney the 2012 Republican nominee. Finally. Republican Party chiefs will feel a sense of relief after an exhaustive and bruising primary season in which the party seemed to be beating itself up for months on end. But they must also reckon that a candidate who took so long to defeat his adversaries for the nomination – despite his advantage in terms of campaign funding – can’t stand much of chance against the might of the Democratic machine and as talented a campaigner as President Obama.

The immediate question for Team Mitt is whether they can win over those angry conservative voters who tried so hard to stop him. The evangelical right in the south, for one thing, has shown precious little inclination to support Romney. The answer, though, is yes. They’ll rally round to the GOP cause.