When are Republicans going to get serious about their nominee for president? The fireworks show is drawing to an end.

The first skyrocket was Sarah Palin, who was unqualified when John McCain picked her in 2008. She was ignorant of the world; she had held a passport for only two years. Her schooling had ended with a bachelor’s degree. As governor of Alaska, she served less than one term.

Palin did not run. Michele Bachmann, a congresswoman elected in 2006, did. Not since James A. Garfield has anyone been elected president straight out of the House of Representatives — and he was a party leader. Bachmann is an unguided missile.

When she fell to Earth, Rick Perry lit his fuse. He is governor of Texas. He follows the footsteps of George W. Bush, except that he is not a Yale man. Perry graduated in animal science at Texas A&M University, where he was a cheerleader. He wrote a book called “Fed Up,” which most Republicans quickly were of him.

Now comes Herman Cain, preacher, talk-show host and former head cheese of Godfather’s Pizza. Cain has zero elected experience — not even on a city council. He will fizzle out. He is fizzling now.

The backup man is Mitt Romney. He has a fine education, Harvard Business and Harvard Law. He was governor of Massachusetts and CEO of Bain Capital. The problem with Romney is that he designs his political positions as if he were marketing an exercise bike. Republicans know it and do not like it. It is why they gawk at the fireworks of Palin, Bachmann, Perry and Cain.

What about the American people? The Rasmussen poll finds that if President Obama is pitted against an unnamed Republican, the Republican wins. Against an actual Republican, Obama wins.

The Republican Party has a responsibility. It owes the people a nominee who is qualified to be president.

That might be Romney, if people could believe him. It might be Jon Huntsman, who has been governor of Utah, deputy U.S. trade representative and ambassador to China. It might have been Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana and former director of the Office of Management and Budget.

It is not going to be Ron Paul, the congressman who would abolish the Federal Reserve, or Rick Santorum, the senator who would herd gays back into the closet. It is not going to be Palin, Bachmann, Perry or Cain.

Too bad the GOP race has come to this, because Americans deserve a quality competition for the White House.