I don’t think this at all: “The National Review endorsement goes a long way to assuring conservatives that Romney is the real deal.”
The National Review has had a man-crush on Romney from the first moment he announced. It’s one thing if a publication takes an “unbiased look” (like that ever happens) at the candidates and decides which one to endorse, it’s another thing entirely if they de facto endorse a candidate before he/she enters the race.
Romney may be the most conservative Governor of Massachusetts in the last 4 years but he’s not a Conservative. The National Review endorsement is a classic case of “Beltway Fever”, they’re endorsing Romney because they know him. As you said, The National Review is now tied to the Romney Campaign and I have a hunch that their subscribers will learn that The National Review isn’t a Conservative Publication anymore.
