While Republicans have largely rallied around Romney, his relationship with the right seems to be mostly a marriage of convenience -- one in which Romney represents the best, if imperfect, chance to defeat President Barack Obama in November.
To that end, the June NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll contained a telling statistic: 58 percent of registered voters who said they planned to vote for Romney said their vote was more about voting against Obama. Thirty-five percent said their vote was mostly in favor of Romney.
It's also emblematic of the current split within the GOP between activists who favor a more strongly ideological approach and those who wish to wed political strategy with policy goals. Romney, to many conservatives, firmly represents the latter approach...