Tea Partiers and religious social conservatives are now in a sheer panic at the prospect of a Mitt Romney candidacy, desperately hoping that some last minute far right savior will appear to rescue them from the dreaded Mormon moderate.

(Romney’s not really a “moderate” at all, of course, but compared to the teabaggers and fundamentalists…)

A near-panic has taken hold among some core conservative activists, who are now scrambling to devise a strategy to deny Mitt Romney the Republican presidential nomination.

Many of these activists see South Carolina’s primary on Jan. 21 as their last best hope of stopping Romney by consolidating in a united front against him. But many acknowledge that they have yet to figure out which of the remaining conservative rivals to rally behind and which should get out.

The tension is exacerbated by the deep divisions between two key GOP wings: tea party groups yearning for a pure small-government conservative, and evangelical Christians who want a loyal social conservative.

In one sign of their desperation, some activists are holding out for what they acknowledge is a spectacular long shot: a late-entering savior who could still qualify for enough state ballots and win enough delegates to force a brokered GOP convention this summer.

“Save us, Sarah Palin! You’re our only hope!”