Mel Martinez to Head RNC - Was this Karl's Idea?

I'm not really ready to blame this uninspired pick on Karl Rove, but it does strike me a Rovian move. What's clear now (and was not when I began drafting this post) is the choice has many conservatives steaming.

First some background on Magic Mel (note, this is from my addled memory, I'll fact check to the extent practicable and offer corrections where appropriate). He served as a HUD secretary in GWB's admin prior to running for Senate. His senate campaign was far closer than predicted, primarily because Mel isn't particularly articulate, moreover, he lacks charisma and vision. His campaign , summarized, "elect me I'm the president 's guy".

Controversy surrounded his anointment as the party's senate candidate in Fla . Katherine Harris thought she was promised the chance to run as a quid pro quo for meritorious service during the 2000 Florida recount. With the benefit of hindsight the choice was easy, one need only look to the wacky campaign run by Katherine "What Do You Think of THESE" Harris in the recent Fla senate campaign. However, the decision was more about 2004 electoral politics than anything else. Magic, a Cuban-American, was run in 2004 to solidify the Hispanic vote in Florida.

His appointment to the RNC post appears to be an effort to extend a hand to Hispanic voters that departed the GOP in droves during the '06 midterms following the immigration debate. No one in their right mind would compare Magic to his predecessor, Ken Mehlman. Unless he is a masterful prestidigitator, he lacks the strategic skills Mehlman clearly possesses.

That said, the pick's appeal to the "Decider" is apparent. Bush knows him and views the pick through rose colored glasses. In fact, the choice is patronizing in the extreme. While it was ultimately Bush's choice, there is no doubt that Karl signed off on the pick.

Immediately following the election, Michael Steele's, the Republican candidate for Senate in MD, surfaced as a candidate for the position. Steele, an African-American, ran an wonderful campaign and came close to stealing (pardon the pun) a Senate seat in deep-blue MD. Steele appears to have a marvelous future in the party and placing Steele as head of the RNC, seems like a perfect fit on so many levels. I just don't get it - I suspect it's a case of Rove out-thinking himself.