One of the items cited in this morning's Abbreviated Pundit Roundup is a piece by Dan Balz about the continuing stalemate in the Republican nomination contest. DemFromCT comments:
"Republicans will rally around the winner... they always do, but perhaps with John McCain/Bob Dole enthusiasm."
Now, there's no doubt that the quote represents the odds-on likeliest outcome. Large portions of the base don't like Romney, just as they didn't like McCain or Dole (and for the same reasons -- too moderate!!!). But at the end of the day, just as in these past cases, they will likely yield to the blandishments of a combination of lack of alternatives still standing, electability, and deference to the authority structure within the movement and party.
But it's always worthwhile thinking about a wider range of possibilities. And there are factors at work this year that make it more likely than most years that their side won't have the nomination locked down before the convention.