THE ALLEN-LESS PRIMARY. Scott's right: Romney's strength is the product of peculiar weaknesses and dynamics within the Republican field. If there were a viable, credibly religious candidate in their ranks, there's no way so many serious Christian conservatives would be coalescing around a Mormon. But there isn't. There's McCain and Giuliani, both of whom claim some degree of faith while appearing vaguely contemptuous of the whole enterprise. I think it's an undercovered story how much the collapse of George Allen has defined the Republican primary thus far. Allen, after all, was the traditional Republican candidate. Southern, religious, orthodox, etc. He would've been opposed by the odd heterodoxies and alternative appeals of Romney, McCain, and Giuliani. His withdrawal left only those candidates, creating a scramble among Republican voters to noot only find someone vaguely acceptable, but block those who scared them. This need to head off candidates like McCain explains, I think, why the second tier types like Huckabee haven't been able to break through. There's no margin for error. Whether Thompson thrives will largely depends on whether he can attract enough immediate support to appear a safe choice. --Ezra Klein
