When Mitt Romney signaled he may join Jeb Bush and Chris Christie in the 2016 Republican presidential race, it fulfilled a daydream that’s been spreading among some conservatives.

The dream scenario, as articulated by the Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway and Quin Hillyer of the National Review, goes something like this: The more candidates there are are fighting for the affection of the Republican elites commonly known as the Establishment, the better chance there is that a conservative candidate could exploit the division and capture the nomination.