This Tom Toles cartoon...

...isn't so far-fetched. If the past is any guide, the GOP will nominate someone from the establishment wing of the party for president in 2016. (Come on, did you really think Rand Paul would be the Republican standard-bearer?)

Now if Paul Ryan would rather be House Ways and Means chairman, and if Chris Christie is unacceptable to the right wing, and Jeb Bush doesn't have the requisite fire in the belly (and doesn't poll well anyway), who does that leave?

I don't expect Mitt Romney to actively seek the presidency in 2016, but I do think he'd be more than open to a draft. And if there's another recession between now and then (which is looking more and more likely), he just might sneak in. Don't count him out!