Last night was President Bush’s legacy

For Americans who understand how important a healthy Republican Party is to our nation, last night’s polling should give pause.

The GOP is crippled, divided, uncertain and largely leaderless.

Clearly, Barack Obama won the race by virtue of his talents and steadiness under pressure. But his victory — and the humiliation of the GOP — also reflected the last eight years of George W. Bush.

John McCain ran as a sort of quasi-anti-Bush, tentatively trying to move the party’s faithful away from the Bush-Cheney-Rove axis.

His selection of Sarah Palin clearly blunted that message. At a time when Americans demanded competence, McCain blinked and chose another Bush-like figure.

Palin is now a major force in the GOP. But her fate will largely be decided by the monumental question now facing Republicans:

What do we do with W?

There is already a movement afoot to recast President Bush as a good man who was misunderstood or maligned. A man of principle who will be vindicated by history.

His brand of politician – small town folksy, charismatic populist, ideological – has strong appeal among conservatives. Which is why Governor Palin will linger as a presence.

But last night’s outcome suggests that the GOP needs a new direction, one that breaks cleanly with the era defined by Mr. Bush.