COULTER, KEYES, LIMBAUGH: YOUR WORK IS DONE

Ann, Alan, Rush -- carry on if you must, but the GOP and movement conservatism can go on without you, because everyone in the movement now is one or more of you. You've spread your gospel far and wide.

Jokey eliminationism? Who needs Coulter? Here's John Bolton (and his cheering crowd):

This morning, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton spoke to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He tried to up the fear quotient in the room by raising the prospect of an Iranian-sent nuclear attack on an American city. "It's [a] tiny [threat] compared to the Soviet Union," Bolton said, "but is the loss of one American city — pick one at random: Chicago -- is that a tiny threat?" The audience erupted in cheers and laughter at the idea of Obama's home city being obliterated.

Keyes? Who needs him for conspiracy craziness? Here's Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media (and, again, an adoring crowd):

Earlier this afternoon, Cliff Kincaid, head of a conservative group Accuracy in Media, introduced Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN). Kincaid suggested that President Obama is a communist, then suggested Obama was not born in the United States -- to which the crowd cheered wildly.

And everyone leading Republican -- Bobby Jindal, Michael Steele, Mark Sanford, Palin, Cantor, Boehner -- is Limbaugh now, obviously.

Is the Republican Party even a political party anymore? What I mean is, political parties actual field candidates who seek offices and then seek to govern when they hold those offices. Does the GOP, or at least the national GOP, even fit that bill anymore?

It seems to me that the GOP is now just an opposition-research team and attack-ad shop. Attacking and undermining the opposition are supposed to be part of what a party does, mostly at election time, but right now they seem to be all the GOP does. And, on most issues, that was true even when a Republican held the White House -- Bush did nothing as the economy cratered, did nothing as the economy was on the verge of cratering, did nothing (or nothing much) about Katrina or food safety or the Israeli-Palestinian situation or any number of other issues.

It's not just that Rush Limbaugh is the de facto leader of the Republican Party -- the Republican Party is, simply, talk radio off the air. It has nothing to do with governance anymore.