A consensus opinion floated to the surface -- like another Baby Ruth at the swimming pool -- of the right-wing pundit class: Republicans have no real leadership, and that's a good thing for Republicans.

That was certainly the popular talking point on Fox yesterday. Brit Hume kicked it off:

Hume: The GOP is leaderless, as parties tend to be after an election in which they lost everything. And the truth is, they don't need to be led right now.

... The Republican Party doesn't have a leader right now, and the truth of the matter is, it doesn't need one. If anybody is leading the party, it's Barack Obama, and they are reacting to him.

Bill Kristol chimes in:

Kristol: Republicans understand that they don't need to have one leader. They shouldn't have one leader. It is very good that the Republican Party is leaderless. Let a lot of people emerge from the grass roots, let a lot of ideas compete ...

Yeah, it should be real fun watching the "grass roots" around Sarah Palin "compete" in the arena of Republican ideas. I'm thinking it likely will resemble the scene around Aunty Entity.

Meanwhile, Hume caps it off with a little characteristic unearned smugness:

Hume: Republicans are finding they run no political risk by opposing his policies.

Yet. We'll check back at in November 2010, shall we?

In any event, this appears to be one of the Physical Laws of Planet Wingnuttia: Everything is good for Republicans. Including getting your asses kicked from one end of the country to the other. Apparently, so is intentionally inundating themselves with delusional nonsense. It's all good.

Yes it is.