Is the Martinez RNC chairmanship in jeoperdy?

President Bush's choice for chairman of the RNC, Sen. Mel Martinez, is coming under serious fire from party conservatives.

(Washington Times) Rebellion is brewing among conservatives on the Republican National Committee over President's Bush's attempt to "impose" Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida as "general chairman" of the party, who favors "amnesty" for illegal aliens.

The WaTimes article documents concerns of some party members that vow to fight the Martinez appointment:

"I will be voting against Senator Martinez if he is nominated for any chairmanship of the RNC," Tina Benkiser, Texas Republican Party chairman, told The Washington Times yesterday.

Bill Crocker, the elected national committeeman from Texas, says that when the RNC convenes here tomorrow, "Absolutely, I will vote against Martinez."

There is also some doubt over whether the post for which Martinez has been tapped - general chairman - is even a legitimate position under party rules:

The conservatives -- one of whom accused the Bush White House of "outsourcing" party leadership -- say the general-chairman post does not exist under RNC rules, which can be changed only at the party's presidential nominating convention.

Organized opposition to Martinez is also picking-up steam. Ads for StopMartinez.com are popping up on conservative sites like National Review Online.

The conservative blogosphere continues to sound-off. We brought you some of the early reaction back in November when the Martinez announcement was made. Florida bloggers, including this one, have been torn between those same concerns that other conservatives are voicing and the prestige a Martinez chairmanship may bring to the state.

In November, we brought to you the endorsement of our friends over at Peer Review FL. Jim Johnson over at State of Sunshine was unsure whether Bush's pick was the right move.

Oak Leaf over at PoliPundit.com is calling on the party to "Toss Martinez!!"

So what do we at the Sentinel think? The Martinez flap is a distraction that will probably cost Republicans over the next two years. Fundraising under ideal situations will be more challenging now that Republicans are in the minority in Congress. Add to that divisions in the party over a Martinez chairmanship and you have a recipe for disaster. For these reasons alone, we call on Sen. Martinez to step aside and help the eventual chairman build for 2008.