Listen, in an ideal world, I would prefer a candidate who has proven that he can still be a conservative after having been elected to office – someone who has proven that he can withstand the temptations of Washington, not someone who is completely untested by them at all. GOP voters, right now, seem to be rejecting that argument as being without merit – right now, the trio of Trump, Carson and Fiorina threatens to leave the rest of the field in the dust. That’s fine; not everyone has to agree with me.

But while I have concerns about Carson as our Presidential nominee, based both on questions about his ability to win and his ability to successfully govern if he does win, I would not feel, say, horrified at the prospect of handing the world’s largest nuclear arsenal over to his control, like I would with Donald Trump. I believe very firmly that, whatever missteps he might make as a Presidential nominee or as President, Carson would carry himself with dignity in both positions and in the final analysis, history would look kindly on his efforts.

I think America and the world would unquestionably be better places after four or eight years of President Ben Carson. Which is not something I can say about Donald Trump. Which is why, if it really is true that Trump and Carson are on an inevitable collision course, I would happily and without reservation cast my lot with Carson, come what may. If the GOP is doomed to burn ignominiously this election – which it probably deserves to do, I would feel proud to do it with Carson at the head and confident that it can be reborn from the ashes. And I would even have hope that Carson stood a puncher’s chance to salvage victory for himself, which would be the best of all results.