Romney’s op-ed could be a significant development: Any truly effective resistance to Trump’s presidency is going to require Republican participation sooner or later. Romney — a former governor, the son of a former governor, and the party’s 2012 presidential nominee — is GOP royalty. And he’s well-positioned to take a stand: He’s not likely to make another run for the presidency, but his Utah constituents are notoriously disdainful of Trump. Unlike Sens. Bob Corker (Tenn.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.), both of whom took half-hearted stabs at Trump, Romney has very little to lose.

In fact, he has something significant to gain. Right now, the first line of Romney’s obituary will probably describe him as “the former Massachusetts governor who lost the 2012 presidential race to Barack Obama.” Now there’s a chance to rewrite that description as “the Utah senator who bounced back from losing the presidency to help lead opposition to a notoriously destructive president from his own party.” Romney has the chance to lead Republicans away from Trumpism and secure a positive mention for himself in the history books in the process. Even if he fails, his legacy probably grows by digging in against Trump — does anybody want to bet that history will smile upon this presidency?