Lots of disappointment from my conservative colleagues over the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Obamacare today, and understandably so. However, there are a few silver linings to this storm cloud that should give us hope.

One, as my former boss, John Hood, writes at The Corner, the Supreme Court victory comes at significant political cost to President Obama. Chief Justice John Roberts managed to uphold Obamacare apart from the Commerce Clause by calling it a tax — a tax that will constitute a mammoth increase on the middle class. Not a good selling point in an election year. Romney has a golden opportunity to exploit Obamacare as a tax hike, and he has the Supreme Court as his source.

Two, conservatives’ depression will quickly turn to resolve and action. In the same way that Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage will convince reluctant evangelicals to fill in the oval for Romney in November, so will the Supreme Court’s ruling convince Libertarians and moderates who previously were on the fence to go for Romney. The ruling will create badly needed enthusiasm for Romney in a way that wouldn’t have been possible had the high court struck down the individual mandate or Obamacare in its entirety. Look for 2010 conservative fervor to return.

Third, writing at HotAir, Ed Morrissey makes the good point that the court’s ruling means that the HHS contraception-mandate battle will rage on. It’s a golden opportunity to continue to expose the Obama administration’s blatant disregard for freedom of religion and conscience.

All of these factors don’t even take into consideration the stalling economy, which Romney will continue to exploit. So while today is a sobering one for America, the defeat has brought significant opportunities.