Reason One:

The RNC Chairman should unite the Republican Party. Mel Martinez divides the GOP.

Martinez's strong support for an amnesty/guestworker program for illegal aliens places him well outside the mainstream of the Republican Party.

If Martinez wins on January 20th, Republican elected officials who oppose amnesty or support official English can be expected to find themselves debating the chairman of their own party on television.

Reason Two:

Mel Martinez's impressive personal story as a Cuban immigrant will not attract other Hispanic voters to the GOP.

There is no such thing as a "Hispanic vote." Cuban Americans traditionally vote Republican while Puerto Rican Americans overwhelmingly vote Democratic. Even Mexican Americans disagree about amnesty and guestworker programs, given that they all too often must compete with illegal aliens for jobs.

Reason Three:

Shouldn't John McCain at least win the 2008 Republican presidential nomination before his friend Mel Martinez becomes Chairman of the Republican Party?

Mel Martinez is part of John McCain's kitchen cabinet. In December, McCain hired Martinez's former spokeswoman, Melissa Shuffield. A Martinez RNC chairmanship will look like the RNC has a pro-McCain thumb on the presidential nomination scale one full year before the first Republican primary vote is cast.

Reason Four:

The main jobs of the RNC Chairman are to win elections for the GOP and raise money. The Martinez record is less than impressive in both of these categories.

Winning Elections? In 2004 Mel Martinez eked out a 49.4% to 48.3% victory in his Senate race while George W. Bush beat Kerry handily 52% to 47%. Without President Bush heading the ticket, would Martinez have won?

Raising Money? According to Opensecrets.com, Martinez (with the full support of President Bush) raised just $12,463,752 for his race. In the 2006 Florida Senate race, another Democrat, Bill Nelson, raised $18,011,553, despite not having a viable Republican opponent.

Reason 5:

The General Chairman of the Republican National Committee faces an extremely busy 2007 and 2008.

The RNC faces an open contest for the party's presidential nomination, 2008 convention planning for Minnesota and efforts to retake control of the House and Senate for the GOP in 21 months. In addition, the General Chairman of the RNC will be a major party spokesman, given the GOP's loss of the House and the Senate in 2006.

Is this really a part-time job for a sitting United States Senator?