Death Knell for Santorum Campaign

No one thought Rick Santorum would be the last man standing against Mitt Romney.   He's done a helluva job, and should be commended.   But it sure looks like the party is coalescing around Romney's candidacy.   Within the past few days, former President George H.W. Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio both endorsed Romney.   Today, perhaps the most important endorsement of all comes from Wisconsin's own Paul Ryan:

Rep. Paul Ryan endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney on Fox and Friends this morning. Ryan said the primary process has been productive and constructive up to this point, but that it is time to unite around Romney.

"I am convinced if we drag this out to the summer, it's going to make it that much harder to beat Obama in the fall,"  Ryan said.

Santorum is still close in Wisconsin, and there's a chance he could pull it out.   But I think Ryan's endorsement will actually give Romney a big boost here, and lead to a double-digit win.   Santorum needed to win Michigan, Ohio or Wisconsin to stay viable.   He won't do it, and after Wisconsin there will be lots of calls for him to get out.   If he were to hang on through the end of April, he could then mount a charge of sorts in May, when the calendar is more favorable with primaries in the South and the most conservative Midwest states (Indiana and Nebraska).   But the math will make those too little too late and donors will probably say "why bother?"

Ryan, by the way, is now the de facto leader of the party, an enormously likeable and respected figure.   Would he accept the Vice Presidential nomination?   More to the point:   why would he?   Doesn't he have more power where he is?