It's official.  Rick Santorum has suspended his campaign to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee, all but assuring that Mitt Romney will be taking on President Obama in this fall's general election, as the Republican Party's nominee.

Now it's "reset" or "Etch A Sketch" time, as a (former?) Romney staffer put it.

Having had to go negative to seal the deal in the primary, and having taken substantial incoming fire from the surprisingly vigorous campaign of Santorum, Mitt Romney has suffered from the fight.  His "negatives" are apparently up a bit as a result of this battle.

Instead of reset time, I'd call it scab formation time.  There are sure to be fresh injuries sustained as the real battle begins.  But these assaults won't interfere with the healing that Romney will need before the election.  The party will be unified, even energized, and the scabs from the primary fight will heal nicely.  They're breaking out the salves and bandages right now.   You won't even be able to see a scar by the time the convention arrives.

 

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