NEW RULE

Republicans require a pulse.

Michigan Republican Chairman Saul Anuzis. South Carolina Republican Chairman Katon Dawson. Florida Republican Chairman Jim Greer. Former Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle. Former Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele. Their ambition? Republican National Committee Chairman.

The winner is irrelevant. Whoever survives, they must perform. They cannot merely court conservatives. They cannot merely ingrain issues. They must expand, modernize, and sell the party. Republicans need an articulate operative. They need a strategic personality. Another Chairman Emeritus would be a catastrophe.