People don’t have to be excited about a candidate they vote for; they just have to be excited enough to vote against the other candidate.
If nothing else, Romney is close friends with Netanyahu. It will be far easier to vote for someone who cares about Israel and to vote against someone who apparently despises it.
According to Romney in a widely quoted NYT interview, which seems to be the only source. Yes, they've known each other since their time at Boston Consulting Group in 1976 and have had intermittent contact, but I don't see any similar affirmation from Netanyahu, only a wishy-washy quote from an aide.
Nothing in the local (MA) gossip suggests that Romney knows what a "close friend" is.
And they weren't. And I'm not the only FReeper that's talking about empty polling places.