The other day, someone from Team Romney told me something that essentially boiled down to this: We don’t want to do what we’re going to have to do to Rick Santorum in his home state — if he stays in the race. 

Politicians and political folks spin the press (even on background), but this seemed sincere. It was almost a plea for Santorum to get out — a plea for him save everybody the trouble of embarrassing him in his own home state.

I believe them. There is a very real chance that Mitt Romney will, in fact, have to eviscerate Rick Santorum in three weeks — just to end this thing. And as Seinfeld might say: “That’s not going to be good for anybody.” It could get ugly. On “Morning Joe” this morning, John Heilemann even suggested Romney would turn Pennsylvania into Dresden.

Santorum’s goal, of course, is to make it to May, where he could possibly win states like Texas and North Carolina. But can he make it to the south after having been humiliated in what is considered his home state? He may be up in the Pennsylvania polls today, but he was also up in Ohio and Wisconsin, too — before he was vastly outspent and outmaneuvered. What is more, it’s not like Santorum is the Keystone State’s most beloved favorite son. He’s from Virginia, he lives in Virginia, and he lost his last re-election campaign in Pennsylvania by a huge margin (although that was a general election and this is a primary).

The other week, I argued that Republicans hoping to push Rick Santorum out of the race have little leverage to do so. After all, should Romney lose in 2012, Santorum would hardly be the front runner for the GOP nomination in 2016. There is no sense that Santorum should be a good soldier this time so that he can be the next-in-line heir apparent next time.

This is true, but how much public humiliation can one man endure?

Meanwhile, a nasty battle in Pennsylvania would probably be a lose/lose. As Romney prepares to spank Santorum, his team seems to be echoing that paternalistic notion moms and dads know all too well — the sense that, This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you!