Einstein supposedly said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The leader of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) confirmed that he and his colleagues are bat-shit crazy:
NRCC Chair Cole is undaunted by yesterday’s results, calling the anti-Obama strategy a “useful tool” for hitting Dems in conservative areas.

It looks like the GOP plans to continue its efforts to damage down-ticket Dems by tying them to Barack Obama — even though this strategy completely failed to defeat the Dem candidate who won a big upset victory in the Mississippi special election yesterday.

On a conference call with reporters today, NRCC chair Tom Cole confirmed that the party will continue using Obama to tar Dem House candidates, in much the way the GOP has historically used figures like Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi to do the same.

The NRCC and the local GOP candidate in Mississippi ran ads tying Travis Childers to Obama and even to Jeremiah Wright, but Childers won yesterday by a comfortable eight-point margin.

But Cole is undaunted by yesterday’s results, calling the anti-Obama strategy a “useful tool” for hitting Dems in conservative areas: “I think reminding people that we have a very liberal, and I think very inexperienced Democratic nominee, and that your opponent is likely to be supporting that individual, is interesting.”

The NRCC’s strategy of nationalizing the special elections is based on this sort of polling:

According to internal NRCC numbers obtained by The Hill, Obama has a 32 percent favorable and 58 percent unfavorable rating in Mississippi’s 1st district, where Republicans nearly lost a special election last week to a Democratic takeover. The race will go to a runoff May 13.

His numbers were better but similar, 37-50, in Louisiana’s 6th district, where a special will be held Saturday.

Pelosi’s numbers in those two districts were 18-39 and 24-47, respectively.

“We like the way that’s unfolding,” Cole said. “We would rather be running national elections.”

The flaws in the strategy aret a) the Republican Party disgraced itself while it was in power and no longer has credibility with anyone except the most hardcore GOP dead-enders and b) voters aren’t worried about the connection between the Blue Dog Democrats in these special elections and the party leadership.

Rep. Cole’s insanity is fueling talk that he might be replaced, and quick:

[A House GOP] leadership aide told Real Clear Politics that something new is going to happen at the NRCC. “People look at Cole, and they say, ‘What are you going to do to change?’ And if he doesn’t want to change, change is going to be forced on him.”

The leadership aide suggested that a former NRCC chairman, Virginia Rep. Tom Davis, could take on a larger role in the coming months. Davis, who is retiring after this session of Congress, ran the committee earlier this decade and currently serves as chairman of the NRCC executive committee. The adviser suggested, instead, that the wounded NRCC presents an opportunity for other members of the caucus to help out their fellow Republicans with political action committee donations, setting up future advancement for themselves.