The discord among Republicans is leading to a clear sense of panic in their ranks. Witness the unprecedented meeting -- sans party apparatus -- being called by the members of the Republican National Committee this week to take a look at the potential leaders now lining up to direct the party's future.

Of course, given that one of the leading applicants recently created a stir by sending out a Christmas disc with "Barack the Magic Negro" on it, it might be that they want to take a harder look at who's going to be leading them.

Ironically, one of the names we keep hearing from RNC types about potential candidates to head them up is Ken Blackwell, the black wingnut from Ohio. If they name him to lead a decidedly very white party, one would hope they'd at least have enough self-awareness to retire the "Magic Negro" charge regarding Obama.

But given what we all keep hearing from conservatives themselves after the election -- that their problem was that they weren't far enough to the right -- it seems like all this may be more pretext for driving the party into further irrelevance.

Indeed, as Eric Ward observes, some of the more wingnutty of the GOP factions -- including the NRA, the Eagle Forum, and the anti-abortion crowd -- are all hoping to seize the reins in the midst of the GOP's power vacuum.

Interesting times, interesting times.