Evangelicals Say, "Mitt's No Savior, He's Just Another Caesar"

That's my only explanation for Huck's continued progress -- not toward the nomination, of course, but toward becoming kingmaker at the Republican National Convention. His victory in Iowa was the iceberg hitting the hull; crushing victories today in West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia constitute the crack-up of the luxury liner S.S. Romney, now going down during its maiden, transnational voyage. Romney's forces, if that's not too strong a word (for he vows to keep on) might broker with other factions at this summer's convention, but -- barring a brokered convention that doesn't break in his favor -- McCain is the man for this season, likely for this fall, and just possibly next winter.

Huck's evangelical votes fill the void of confidence left not just by Romney's record in Massachusetts but by the Bush Administration's tepid accomplishments in their regard. Bush often took evangelicals for granted, except when it became impossible to do so (e.g., when Miers was forced to step down from SCOTUS consideration). Somewhat like Obama's deep support tonight among Southern blacks (which might serve notice to the Clintons to deliver better there), it's payback time for lifetime, beltway Republicans. Professional Republicans who backed Romney and who are also professing Christians have a lot to think about. Or pray about.

Preacher credentials aside, does anyone mistake the former Arkansas governor -- a fisher of votes -- for a fisher of men? It's just that, in flocking to Huck, Southern evangelicals are saying, "Mitt's no savior, he's just another Caesar."

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More:

Conservatives to begin a strategic retreat within the GOP
(Right Wing Nuthouse)

Podhoretz fils differentiates between a party and a movement
(Contentions)

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As for the Democrats:

[T]he bitterness of [Hillary Clinton's victories in the Democratic primaries] may have done irreparable harm to relations with African-Americans..
(Contentions)

If Democratic superdelegates end up securing the nomination for Ms. Rodham Clinton, [t]he African-American vote would see this as a stolen nomination and could walk away from the Democrats.
(Ed Morrissey)