A few days after the election debacle last year, George Bush named a sitting Senator Chairman of the Republican Party. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) was expected to dabble in party politics while holding down a full time job in the Senate.

During Martinez's tenure as General Chairman, fewer people are identifying themselves as Republicans, and such arcane activities as candidate recruitment, voter outreach, and keeping up the morale of party footsoldiers across the country have been abysmally handled, most experts would agree.

It is clear this experiment was a disaster:

"It was my goal as general chairman to lead the party as it established the structure and raised the resources necessary to support our presidential candidate and ensure Republican victories next November," Mr. Martinez said.

"I believe we have accomplished those goals. That's why it is the appropriate time for me to step down as general chairman and continue to focus my energy on serving my constituents in Florida."

President Bush praised his former Housing and Urban Development secretary yesterday, saying: "His message of hope and opportunity has resonated throughout America and strengthened support for our agenda. Because of his leadership, more Americans understand the Republican Party's efforts to grow our economy, support our troops, strengthen our schools and protect our country."

Mr. Martinez was hand-picked by then-White House political adviser Karl Rove to run for the open Senate seat, which he won handily with the help of the state's large Cuban population. But the workload and travel demands of the RNC chairmanship consumed more time than he had expected at the expense of less visibility back home, Republican strategists said.