I can think of an equally unsurprising alternative. Santorum lines up with Romney, being offered the veep spot in exchange for dropping out. In eight years he is the shoo-in for the presidential nomination. Plus Romney offers to pay his campaign debt.
Somebody can correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Santorum suspended his campaign before incurring major debt.
Debt is a problem for the Bachmann and Gingrich campaigns, and at least so far, they haven’t been willing to accept a Romney buyout.
Capitalism is great for business, but buying votes isn’t good for government.