My take on Romney is that he is more the professional politician, tailoring his positions and messages to the audience, than he is a committed ideologue.
No unwavering full spectrum conservative could get elected or influence policy in Massachusetts. Anyone who climbs into the arena there will get their hands dirty. If people think its hard to hold their nose and vote for a suboptimal option in one election, imagine the lousy options he had to choose from every day in Massachusetts. Romney was pragmatic and disciplined enough to do what it took to get power and influence the action there, pulling policy to the right (relative to MA), getting an American Conservative Union rating of over 88 and balancing the budget in the process.
Who is he at heart? A hard working pragmatic executive who gets excellent results. If his goal is to get elected, he does what it takes to succeed. I believe that he ran on a socially liberal/fiscally conservative platform in MA and honored it after the election. That is what it took. He can get things done.
The contract that he is offering to this more conservative nation is a more conservative one. History indicates to me that he will honor what he runs on, has a knack for picking good people, and manages like a top tier pro.
Obama Must Be Defeated!
2007 race
Dr. John Willke Endorses Mitt Romney
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/willke-romney/2007/10/22/id/321953
Dr. Willke, helped found the National Right To Life Committee and served for 10 years as its president. Dr. Willke serves as president of the Life Issues Institute, Inc., and president of the International Right to Life Federation.
National Right To Life
04/18/12
http://www.nrlpac.org/pdf/POTUS%20Comparison.pdf
Comparison chart Romney and Obama