Maybe (ruminating here) it's just the old Republican "it's Mitt's turn" mentality at work. They've got all these prexy candidates lined up like airliners on a taxiway, and they ignore the flames and columns of black smoke off the end of the runway and just wave the next one forward. "It's Rudy's turn, it's Mitt's turn, it's McCain's turn, it's Lamar Alexander's turn ......" Burn, crash, burn, crash ...... ad nauseam.
It isn't that you lost the race. At least you showed up with a yacht.
Bob Dole, Wendel Wilkie( more of a ‘selection’ then turn ), Dewey( New York establishment candidate...)
As opposed to the likes of the Tafts, Reagan, Goldwater...
The GOP. American’s other established Rip Off Party.