My money is on Chris Christie. You only need look at the who's who of money backing him (the Koch brothers being an obvious example). He doesn't stand a cat in hell's chance of winning a Republican primary because of his religious views. But if it were possible to stop any one of Gingrich, Santorum & Romney (and it certainly IS possible) from getting too far ahead in the polls he could slip in via the back door. Short of that the money will go to Romney. Corporate America isn't his biggest fan but better that option than Gingrich (too prone to self-destruct) and Santorum (not business ENOUGH and completely out of the question).

In a real brokered convention the delegates get to break away from the candidates they have been selected/bound to vote for and can excercise free will. Although it depends who they are and how the individual state selection rules work, you would think they are more likely to be part of the Republican base and, by implication, hardcore religious fanatics. Party unity and electability have every chance of going out of the window - Chris Christie would have no chance but it's how Santorum could get the nomination - and even he's a Catholic.

Anyway back to Dave; I would imagine Obama's probably a little right wing for Cameron's taste.

With the Koch brothers behind him even Malcolm X would stand a chance. As usual the media is spending far too much time on the candidates and nowhere near enough on precisely WHO is backing them and for whose benefit.

Or that the NHS is safe in Conservative hands.

Did Obama call him Dave do we know?

Romney's still the man most likely to get the job.

The Republicans now are suffering from the mania they've had for a few years in flocking to anyone who looks a possible winner (usually by coming out with some nonsensical extreme soundbite on something or other) only to back off after they realise they are mad, stupid or both. Palin and the Tea Party started it, Gingrich only got into the current contest because of it.

Underneath it all is the fear that none of their mainstream candidates can touch Obama when it comes to presentation, and they are likely to be smashed in any televised debates.