First, draw a circle. Then, assemble your most incompetent boobs and make sure anyone who is competent you undermine. Such as the case of RNC Chairman Tom Steele … keep him in power only long enough to demonstrate (because you’ve totally undermined him) that his sort should be avoided in the future, once and for all.

The most amazing bit of news we’ve heard since the Party of Racism cynically and quite temporarily appointed a black man to lead them, is that Minnesota’s Norm Coleman could be appointed to replace Steele. The reaction of one Democratic Party official when asked what the Dems are going to do about this: “When the Republicans are forming a circular firing squad, the last thing we’re going to do is step into the middle.”

The rumor was first posted on Politico, and is discussed in more detail here.

What I think actually happened was this. Top Republican Party officials were talking about the future of the party while riding the subway into the city from their posh Virginia neighborhood. Nearby, a crafty reporter was listening in, trying to get some news to report on Politico.

One of the party officials said to the other: “Let’s convince Norm Coleman to leave the Republican Party” but the reporter heard this as “Let’s convene Norm Coleman to lead the Republican Party” because just then the subway, which is normally quite quite in DC (seriously … those trains whisper compared to NY and Boston), went rattling over a bad piece of track.

That is the only possible explanation.