Two leading contenders are out there, looking to be the next chairman of the GOP. One, Newt Gingrich, was the brains of the 1994 GOP takeover of congress. The other, Michael Steele, is one of the “young Turks” of the party, a member of a new generation of leaders who many see as the future of the GOP.

A behind-the-scenes battle to take the reins of the Republican National Committee is taking off between former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele.

Neither man will acknowledge his interest in the post, but Republicans close to each are burning up the phone lines and firing off e-mails to fellow party members in an effort to oust RNC Chairman Mike Duncan in the wake of the second consecutive drubbing of Republican candidates at the polls.

A bevy of backers for each man, neither of whom is an RNC member, say the committee needs a leader who can formulate a counter-agenda to President-elect Barack Obama's administration and articulate it on the national stage.

Personally, I back Steele for the post. Not because of his race, though I won’t deny that it is a plus in the age of Obama when the GOP desperately needs to reach out to minorities. Rather, we are a party that does need to look forward rather than backwards – and while the GOP owes Gingrich a debt of gratitude and would gain much by tapping into his intellect, selecting Steele would be a move into a new era rather than an attempt to return to an earler one.

Oh, and whatever happens, we need to reject this choice. As I stated repeatedly during the primaries, Huckabee is not a direction that I want to see the party take.

H/T Hot Air

UPDATE: Looks like Newt will endorse Steele and work with him in charting a course for the GOP -- precisely what I suggested above.