During the Bush administration, especially in his second term, I asked myself many times, "Where is his Lanny Davis?"  Mr. Davis is a good and decent man who happens to be an unflinching advocate for both Clintons.  No matter what, he and others would go out every week and immolate themselves on TV for the Clinton cause.  They do it to this day.  No one seemed to stand up this way for George Bush, who was pummeled constantly and unfairly by crude Democrat thuggery and a craven lefty press.  The Republicans seemed to stand by while one of the most normal people we ever had as president had his reputation disassembled.

Now we are seeing that again.  Pat Buchanan says Romney needs to "Call an Audible," while Peggy Noonan says he should turn over control of his campaign to someone like Jim Baker. Any other preference you can dredge up, Peggy?  How about Thomas Jefferson or James Madison? I am not linking to these articles because I don't want anyone else to read them.  Meanwhile Bill Kristol whines about Romney's statements and Charles Krauthammer tsk-tsk's at Romney as only he can.

Assorted pundits, brimming with self-professed gravitas and blind conceit, are blithely taking pot shots at Romney.  They fail to see when the time has come to stop this snarky sniping.  They seem to be more interested in claiming to be right than to win.  They want to be standing tall in December, no matter how things go.  I have a message for these people from outside the Beltway -- it's not about you, it's about the country.

We have to win.  It's the only way to get rid of these mystery czars.  We need an Attorney General that would actually prosecute Blank Panthers for issuing a bounty on the head of a private citizen, or intimidating voters with armed thugs.  We need an EPA without a coal-killing agenda.  We need to pull down the destructive behemoths that rogue agencies like the EPA have become.  The world needs America to have a competent State Department and an unchallengeable military.

Romney is a normal person -- he has grounding experiences with which we can relate. We need this guy and we need him now.  He's not a movie star, radiating charisma; instead he is an extraordinarily successful citizen, radiating competence. I am not suggesting you all become Lanny Davis, but you could take a cue from his commitment, because that is what you are lacking -- commitment. If any Republican has any influence, it should be spent on cheering on the entire Republican ticket for the next two months. Conservative pundits need to get out of their first-class seats on the Beltway Bus and help the rest of us push it over the finish line.