There is a powerful incentive to battle Romney down to the wire. Even if he opens up a big lead over a bunch of 2nd tier candidates, if he doesn't have a first-ballot majority going into the convention, the backrooms will open up and there will be a real down-and-dirty fight for VP and planks on the party platform.

You can bet there are a number of those people who would like the Republican VP nomination. If they lose they still would have received national exposure, and would be in a good place for the 2016 run.

While meaningless as a practical matter, the planks do reveal the pressures to which the candidate is subject within his or her own party. Conservatives wouldn't be averse to inserting items which would divide the country and ensure a Democrat win.