The late William F. Buckley Jr. naturally put it best when he said: “The wisest choice would be the one who would win. No sense running Mona Lisa in a beauty contest. I’d be for the most right, viable candidate who could win.”

Bill Buckley’s law applies to Mitt Romney today. And it’s worth noting Rush Limbaugh’s recent update to the dictum. After Romney’s terrific Illinois victory speech Tuesday, Rush said flatly, “A conservative alternative to Romney is Romney.”