Bitter Martinez

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In a sign of serious Republican disarray, Sen. Mel Martinez, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, has just lambasted his party's two top presidential candidates over immigration positions which most Americans regard as reasonable. The junior senator from Florida is wrong on more than the substance. This is a case of Mr. Martinez putting his own personal views and his loyalty to President Bush above the serious responsibilities of his chairmanship. He has just driven a wedge between himself and the two men most likely at this point to contend for the Republican presidential nomination. To what end? He is at odds with his party. He sounds bitter. He isn't going to change minds. And he may have just undercut the man for whom Mr. Martinez's job requires a vigorous defense next year.

The irony here is that Mr. Martinez did this while purporting to lecture the hopefuls on "leadership." "Presidential contests are about leadership," he said in Florida this week. "It's about leading on the tough issues... It was easy to say, 'This wasn't good enough, this isn't right, I don't agree with Martinez'... But at the end of the day what is your answer? How would you solve this?" He later mentioned Messrs. Romney and Giuliani by name as two who had mischaracterized the failed immigration plan.

The gall. Mr. Martinez knows "the answer," and he knows the "leadership" behind it: Enforcement first. He may not agree, but neither can he pretend not to hear. Enforcement first was propounded time and again by conservatives. Messrs. Giuliani and Romney are two recent (and welcome) converts. The "leadership" card may play to the audience but in this instance is pure chicanery. It is Mr. Martinez whose conduct ill suits his office. Half a year from now, in a flurry of inevitable election-year attacks against the nominee, Mr. Martinez will be ruing this statement — provided he lasts that long. How much less credibility he will have for undercutting the contenders.

This is one of those cases where the substance, the party protocol and the partisan motives are all aligned in a single direction — letting the new blood speak. And yet Mr. Martinez has just injected the Bush line. Congress is finished debating; no need for it there. Oddest of all, the White House's enforcement announcement this week edges away from six years of open borders. At least Mr. Martinez still has Sen. Ted Kennedy and the Democrats.

The presidential contest is more than gesticulating about "leadership." It is about formulating new policy. Mr. Martinez represents the old policy. He has used his position of party influence to push that old line, and he is wrong to do so.