Now running for president: Mitch Daniels's ghost

At the same time, there is a dangerous dynamic for Mr. Pawlenty — and perhaps also Mr. Huntsman and Mr. Romney — in that the chorus of conservatives who are dissatisfied with their field is only likely to grow louder. Mr. Pawlenty no longer has to compete directly against Mr. Daniels — but he still has to compete against the idea of Mr. Daniels, a candidate who perhaps was perceived as having somewhat more gravitas and who (because of his service in the George W. Bush administration) was more familiar to some within Washington. As a commenter at the conservative grass-roots blog RedState astutely noted, Mr. Daniels’ decision could give rise to a number of “unfounded myths of what a great candidate and president he would have been”.

The remaining candidates, in essence, are still running against Mr. Daniels’ ghost. And ghosts don’t make gaffes, or post disappointing fundraising numbers, like real candidates do. I think Republicans have legitimate reason to worry about the strength of their field — but they have some candidates who would perform better than others against Mr. Obama. If those candidates are held to an impossible standard, the party’s electoral fortunes will not benefit.