Who will be elected the head of the RNC?

Taking a bit of break from transition/inauguration/Caroline Kennedy blogging, one of the elections that's yet to happen, the election amongst top Republicans for who is going to chair the RNC, is going to be a very important first step for how the Republicans will get "out of the wilderness" after two straight congressional electoral thrashings, an American Public that has largely rejected (and partially blamed) conservative ideology in the face of an overwhelming economic crisis, and a lost Presidential Election for only the 4th time in 40 years, the next chairperson of the Republican National Committee will have almost as much work to do as the incoming President's administration.
Not only will the next chairperson have to reorganize almost every single state's offices and field staff, and effectively communicate strategy to the party's grassroots and their conservative base. They will also have to work out a party platform over the next two years that will put them back into favor with the public and challenge a Federal Government that is almost solely in the control of their rivals.
It may also be even more of a challenge since the DNC will now mostly be in control of Obama's massive, coveted email list, and have access to his unprecedented and equally massive volume of volunteers and staffers.
But just like how the majority of the 2008 Presidential election had more to do with Obama's successes and failures than it did McCain's, the 2010 midterm elections will have more to do with the successes and failures of Obama's performance as President -- as well as the performance of a so far ineffectual Democratic controlled congress -- than it will on how well the RNC crafts it's platform and mobilizes it's base over the next two years.
In 2004, the DNC responded to two consecutive (albeit close) presidential losses by moving to the left with the appointment of former Vermont governor and former presidential candidate Howard Dean as it's chairman, who crafted a '50 state strategy' that focused more on equal representation in more conservative states at every ballot level and helped set the stage for a better return for the Democrats nationwide in both '06 and '08.
It would probably be wise for the Republicans to follow a similar strategy, seeing as how Obama won 11 states in the most recent election that Bush carried easily in 2004. Drafting a more center of right or even moderate plank focused on classic GOP values such as tight fiscal accountability and government regulation in the face of a vast increase in Federal spending, as well as a more compelling energy argument than "drill, baby, drill" might be the ticket to a Republican surge in the next two nationwide elections. Especially after two straight elections where the RNC tried to focus on wedge issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and gun control had little effect on their fortunes.
A good read on the details all six of the candidates for next months RNC chair election can be found here (it's worth the click!)