How can Romney disagree with the GOP Platform?

The GOP recently pushed out an incredibly extremists platform, particularly about abortion (source).

But Mitt Romney doesn't agree with the platform, at least about abortion, one of the litmus tests of politics.  Can you imagine a President putting forth a Supreme Court candidate that disagrees with him about abortion?

So why does the GOP put forth a candidate that disagrees with them?

Well, there are two specific things going on here.

1. The GOP movers and shakers know that Americans do not believe in the extreme conservatism ideas that the GOP embraces and will not under any circumstance elect someone that stands for it.  It's why Santorum failed to win their primary.   So they pushed forth a moderate candidate.  That's OK, the Democrats do the same, but....
2. More importantly, Mitt Romney is a failed leader.  A strong leader would, after winning the nomination, push the party in the direction he wanted to go.  That's what Obama did.  He put a break on the gun control lobby and slowed down the gay rights movement because they were not his priority.  By doing so he shifted the Democrat Party to the center, which helped him win.

That is in fact what strong leaders do.  When President Lyndon B. Johnson, (Democrat) championed civil rights  the southern Democrats were racists.  Mainly because Lincoln was a Republican, so all the pro-slavery southerns became Democrats.  But Lyndon B. Johnson took the Democrat party and led them into the anti-discrimination, pro-civil rights, anti-racism party.

On the Democrat side, Ronald Reagan led the GOP.  He moved them in so many ways, it was amazing.  He took a bunch of 'no compromise' people and convinced them to compromise.  After they bombed our barracks in Lebanon, killing 240 American soldiers, he convinced the US not to invade.   While simultaneously elevating the USSR to an "Evil Empire", he managed to negotiate in good faith with them via his 'trust but verify' policy. (source).

Leaders LEAD, they don't follow.  Romney can't lead his own political party, how can he lead the entire country?
 
Compare Romney with Huntsman - the only Republican that ran for President that I would have considered voting for.   Huntsman that publicly supports Obama for President.  Huntsman that talks about trust, rather than socialism. 

Huntsman is a leader.  He led as Governor, he led as Ambassador, he led when he ran for president in the Republican primary (and lost).  Too bad the Republicans choose lies and deceit and hate, as opposed to a good leader.