It’s Colin Powell’s first official act as the new titular head of the GOP.

The initial name-changing resolution had drawn criticism from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. Other party leaders called the idea “stupid” and “absurd,” saying it made Republicans look petty during a troubling time for the nation…

David Norcross, a committeeman from New Jersey, said it was a bid to raise awareness of the Democratic agenda so that Americans can be “properly fearful.”…

At one point during informal discussions of the name change, some attending the meeting of state party leaders and other party officials said the proposed name might also include the label “nationalist.” But Bopp said including “nationalist” was never proposed.

“Nationalist” as a reference to Obama’s de facto nationalization of GM? Or “nationalist” as in … er, the Democrat “National Socialist Party”? I hate to tell you, boys, but apart from the economic sense of the term, “nationalist” is pretty much the opposite of what the left has in mind.

The resolution they ended up passing instead condemned the Democrats’ for “pushing our country towards socialism.” Click here to read the statement from a relieved Michael Steele, an opponent of the “Democrat Socialist” resolution who’s now officially had himself two good days in a row. Ultimately I feel about this trainwreck the way I felt about the film “Dances With Wolves”: Happy with the outcome but disturbed that it took this long to reach it. Good lord.