John McCain’s loss ushered in broad and swift accusations of poor campaigning, poor messaging, and, in essence, taking too many pages from Bob Dole’s failed ’96 campaign. Jilted staffers, now jockeying for jobs in the opposition, are hemorrhaging campaign secrets, and yes, rumors at light speed pace (i.e., Q: Where’s “Africa,” Sarah? A: Ohhh, don’t ya’ know I can’t see that country from my house, so I’m not sure. Can I call you Joe? [wink]) The classlessness exhibited by some of my former colleagues is not surprising, nor unusual. After a loss of this magnitude (365 Obama – 173 McCain), petty leaks of this nature are to be expected, as is the coming intra-party mêlée.

The Republican Party is desperate to rebuild and find the Reagan incarnate.

And so, here we are. Social Conservatives are trying to pray the Libertarians out of the Party, National Security hawks will bomb the hell out of the Fiscal Conservatives, and the Libertarians intend to ‘smoke it out’ and play Halo.

Every ‘leg of the stool’ has its candidate, in some cases 2, but who is best fit to lead the Party? Chris Cilizza’s round up of the leading would-be candidates for Chairman is worth a read, but here’s mine:

Michael Steele is self-proclaimed blogger and internet junkie, who, on a recent conference call with bloggers, said he’s often awake until 3 in the morning to get a sense of rightosphere. Steele, whose campaign is led by two former RNC Political Directors, has both grassroots and establishments support and is often described as the front-runner. But, in a post-Obama world, are we too anxious to partake in, what Erick Erickson calls, “me too’ism”? Erickson’s theory holds that conservatives, who lost 96% of the African American vote, may be too quick to pursue African American candidates for Chairman rather than look for the most qualified guy. We can’t elevate Steele to Chairman because he’s “conveniently Black,” nor can we eliminate him for the same reason. To be sure, Steele’s communications skills (“Drill, baby, drill”) would be an invaluable asset to the Party as we move forward as the ‘voice of the resistance,’ but his conservative bona fides of late have been questioned, particularly with his commitment to the pro-life cause. But instituting litmus tests is a dangerous route to exclusion – ideologically and geographically – and it’s a path I’d prefer we not wander down.

Saul Anuzis, a fierce critic of the McCain campaign’s decision to pull out of Michigan, oversaw a crushing 17 point loss to Obama as the beleaguered MIGOP Chairman. And as I suspected, Anuzis – a blogger (sort of) – endorsed Rebuild the Party’s 10 point modernization plan, but I can’t help but feel his commitment to new media is a facial attempt to gain blogger support. Despite my suspicion, Saul seems to be making ground, at least with those who matter (the 168 committeemen and committeewomen). He’s released an early endorsement letter from 5 state Chairs – only one of which saw a victory in their state, Nebraska. As another potential problem, Anuzis may be running with a house divided. Chuck Yob of Michigan is reportedly mulling a run, too.

Mike Duncan, current RNC Chairman, remains undecided on the race. Of course, with his close ties with Party members he won’t have to publically declare his intentions to seek another term for a few weeks. In the wake of across-the-board losses, conservative bloggers (without a serious grasp of the inner-workings of the Committee) were quick to call for Duncan’s resignation, but scapegoating Duncan as the be-all end-all reason for McCain’s loss is foolish. A lawyer and banker by trade, Duncan was an able and steady hand at the helm directing the day-to-day operations of the Committee, despite strategical arguments with the campaign. His main criticism was his (lack of) visibility (no Braveheart-like “Yeeeeeeeargh” here), but need we sacrifice good strategy and preparation for a pretty face? Duncan, like Steele and Anuzis, is a blogger.

Chip Saltsman’s name induces involuntary cringing. After rising to prominence by running losing weight-loss enthusiast Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, the former TN GOP Chairman wants his hand at losing some more. The political ramifications of elevating a Huckabee’esque candidate to Chairman (a social conservative populist) stand to crush the foundation of the G.O.P.’s outreach strategy to Libertarians and staunch Fiscal Conservatives. The isolation of (growing) factions is the quickest route to extinction and I’d prefer to not see the Party go the way of the dodo bird.

Katon Dawson knows how to get things done politically. His detractors and supporters can agree on one thing: He’s ruthlessly ambitious. He’s got the establishment backing and has garnered the support of Tucker Eschew, who, as Cilliza notes, was one of Sarah Palin’s handlers, but he fails to identify him as Director of Communications in the 2000 South Carolina Presidential primary between then-Governor George Bush and John McCain. You’ll remember it was in South Carolina, with Eschew leading the charge, the viscous rumors regarding Senator McCain’s family arose. Eschew’s support comes as no real surprise: Dawson knows how to get things done and he associates like-minded folks. It doesn’t comfort me on a personal level, but the RNC would surely see a reinvigoration of sorts with Dawson at the top. That said, Dawson’s former membership at a whites-only country club stands to hamper not only his path to victory, but, if elected, outreach to minorities as de facto leader of the Party.

Townhall’s Matt Lewis has thoughts on the race, too. Needless to say, he’s no fan of Duncan.