In principle, I agree with you 100%.
However, when it comes to specific application of your principle, I completely disagree.
We don't need everyone to get behind one or even fewer candidates RIGHT NOW. What we need is the current battle to see who our best, most supported candidates are.
The time for each Republican voter to make his or her final decision is when their state holds its primary. THEN, it's time to check InTrade, current national polls, or whatever and vote ONLY for one of the two candidates most likely to win the nomination. Almost certainly this time around, that will be Romney and someone else, although there's a very slight chance it could be Cain and Gingrich with Romney in third.
BTW, I agree with you that Huntsman and Paul can't win. Too many conservative Republicans would never, ever, ever vote for them. I don't agree that Bachmann and Santorum can't win... they're unlikely to win, but I think that, like me, many conservatives agree with them on principle and would be turn their support to them if Cain and Gingrich somehow imploded.
I'm surprised you don't have Perry on your can't win list. I know plenty of conservatives, including myself, who agree with him on principle, but would never, ever, ever support him, for reasons cleverly pointed out in your tagline. As much as I dislike Romney, at this point, there's a 60-40 chance I'd vote for Romney if he and Perry were the two leaders when my state votes. I don't see that happening though.
My current preferences/rankings:
Gingrich
huge gap
Cain, slightly ahead of
Bachmann, slightly ahead of
Santorum
huge gap squared
Romney, slightly ahead of
Perry
huge gap cubed
Paul, slightly ahead of
Huntsman
Your way works too. I would just like to (a) see a little more clarity a little sooner, and (b) present a united front against the media, the Democrats, and Obama, a little sooner.
I agree that the vetting process is important. I agree that some of the “lower tier” candidates have merit, but so did 8-track tapes. ;-)
I don't personally think Perry is electable, but I keep him in the running because I don't know what the general public is thinking, he has a LOT of money with which to re-brand himself and pull a rabbit out of his hat, and I'm allowing room for the racist votes of not-Romney that won't go to Cain because he's black, and the votes that won't go to Gingrich because of his so-called baggage.
Between Cain, Gingrich, and Perry, I have my personal preferences, but if my choice(s) aren't in the top two come election day, I will definitely support the strongest GOP candidate.
I believe it is imperative that we get behind our candidate, whoever that turns out to be, 100%. I absolutely agree with Gingrich that ANY of our candidates is monumentally better than Obama, and we should support “our own” completely — whoever that turns out to be.
United we stand.
Divided we fall.