Sitting in the ballroom, waiting for the 168 members of the Republican National Committee to begin the process of electing their party chairman. The tension here is so thick, and the cliches are so prevalent, that you can cut them with a knife.

Voting begins at 10:30 a.m. Five candidates are in the running: Mike Duncan, who is seeking a second term, and four challengers: Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland who was his party's Senate nominee in 2006; Kenneth Blackwell, the former secretary of state of Ohio and 2006 gubernatorial candidate who, like Steele, is African-American; Katon Dawson, the GOP chair of South Carolina; and Saul Anuzis, who heads up the state party in Michigan.. Another candidate, Chip Saltsman — who headed up Mike Huckabee's presidential bid last year and who achieved his share of notoriety for having sent out a CD to RNC members that included the parody song "Barack the Magic Negro" — withdrew from the contest last night.

Duncan is thought to be going into the first ballot with the most votes. But having headed the GOP during the disastrous 2008 cycle, there is strong sentiment that the party should look elsewhere for new leadership.

A quick glance at the folks here shows strong sentiment — or at least lapel stickers — for all the candidates except Blackwell. But as I pointed out in my earlier post, he has an impressive roster of conservative backers. The question is, how many of them can vote today?

There is no provision for the low man on the totem pole to withdraw from the race at the end of each round. So there's no telling how long the balloting will go. But your faithful companion will be here with all the heart-racing, pulse-pounding details.