The only difference between what I'm saying and what you are saying is that you insist there is some issue preventing the implementation, and I'm saying that Nintendo could probably work around it if they wanted.
If it's 100% not possible, I'd be the first one to admit, accept and move on.
The other thing I believe is that a company should seriously value consistency in their implementation of these sorts of features, and Nintendo is definitely a company that values consistency.
They do things like re-rating VC games through the ESRB and fully testing every VC game to make sure it works, even if it's basically a ROM dump that would certainly work with no problems.
The only reason we got off-TV play for Wii games is because the pad is being treated as a TV, and no real testing on a per-game basis is required, no pad control compatibility list is required, etc.
I think it's acceptable for them to forego a feature that might be technically possible, if implementing it meant that a number of legacy games would give confusing messages about disconnecting a CC that isn't there (since you're using a pad) or pointing a remote at the screen (that isn't there since you're using a pad). If people have to re-sync controllers every time they boot up a game because the pad is default controller 1 but the menu needs a remote, that is unacceptable.
Consistency is key, even if that consistency is cumbersome. At least when the game mentions the Wii remote, you are sure to have one connected.