Mitt Romney would have broken Barack Obama like a cheap toy.

Despite the image problems facing the Republican Party, the former Massachusetts Governor would have conquered Obama without breaking a sweat. In a time of economic turmoil, voters would have turned to Romney to steer the country through choppy fiscal waters.

Romney was the thinking man’s choice for the GOP nomination. A success in both the business and political worlds, Romney presented the best opportunity to revive the Reagan vision in years. Like Obama, Romney was a handsome, well-spoken, highly intelligent figure who held out hope for a positive future.

It’s a deep shame that Romney couldn’t seal the deal in the GOP primaries. His exit from the race was a harsh blow to the Republican Party and to the country itself. Today, conservatives are questioning whether Obama will govern from the center or from the hard left. Had Romney been the GOP nominee, no one would have had an opportunity to ask that question.

Romney was a dynamic, visionary leader in the private and public sectors, a big-picture thinker and a committed conservative. As President, he would have stimulated the economy, reinforced the country’s security bulwarks and advanced the goals of those who believe in a culture of life. In addition to maintaining the support of the GOP base, he would have easily attracted moderates and independents, thus denying Obama the Presidency.

Remember Romney’s soul-stirring speech on faith and his peerless performances in the GOP primary debates? Imagine how Romney would have performed against Obama in the Presidential debates. He would have disciplined Obama, pointing out the inherent foolishness of his economic positions and ridiculing his liberal vision of the federal judiciary. Obama would have felt like he came out on the bad end of a Chicago street fight.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. Why didn’t GOP primary voters recognize Romney’s strengths? Were they suspicious about his Massachusetts ties? Did they buy into the nonsense peddled by an effete corps of no-name “conservatives” who asserted without proof that Romney was insincerely committed to the fight against same-sex marriage? Or were there other, unspoken reasons?

Romney’s failure to secure the GOP nomination was America’s loss. If Obama goes hard-left as President, conservatives will take to the airwaves and op-ed pages in anger—but the conservatives who didn’t support Romney in the primaries will only have themselves to blame.

Having seen close-up just how good Romney was as governor of Massachusetts, one can only imagine just how strongly he would have performed in the White House. It would have been a time of glory for the American right: Romney would have emphasized conservative fundamentals with leadership as smooth as a Herbie Hancock instrumental.

Romney would have been the new standard. He would have rocked it, knocking out Democrat partisans the way Ali used to knock out contenders. He would have cast new light through the conservative prism, standing firm against Democrat partisanship and socialism.

Romney would have been the 21st century’s first true conservative leader. Unlike George W. Bush, he would have kept the future integrity of his party in mind when making major decisions. Unlike John McCain, he would not have compromised his principles in the name of false unity.

Romney would have run a much better general-election campaign than McCain. He would not have been afraid to mention the infamous name of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. He would have effectively exploited the William Ayers issue, and would not have needed a running mate to do his political attacks for him. Nor would he have needed self-promoting third parties: why use Joe the Plumber when you already have Mitt the Innovator?

Sarah Palin certainly excited the GOP base, but independents and moderates didn’t want to listen to a “hockey mom.” Perhaps a “business dad” would have attracted their attention. Romney would have reassured voters that he knew how to address the myriad economic difficulties currently confounding the country--and would have won based on this issue.

I congratulate Obama on his barrier-busting win, and I hope that he will govern from the center and eschew the extreme liberalism of his party. However, a part of me will always believe that Obama is one of the luckiest politicians of all-time, because he did not face suitable competition on November 4, 2008. Had he faced Romney, he would have been soundly defeated. It would have been an honorable loss, as he would have been conquered by a man who never had to say he put his country first, because he demonstrated his commitment to his country every day of his life.