First part of the rules:
Officers of the Republican National Committee
(a) The officers of the Republican National Committee shall consist of:
(1) A chairman and a co-chairman of the opposite sex who shall be elected by the members of the Republican National Committee. Except as otherwise ordered by a majority of the members of the Republican National Committee present and voting on the matter, the chairman and the co-chairman shall be full-time, paid employees of the Republican National Committee. The chairman shall be the chief executive officer of the Republican National Committee. The chairman or co-chairman may be removed from office only by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire Republican National Committee.
(2) Eight (8) vice chairmen, comprising one (1) man and one (1) woman from each of the following four (4) regions:
(i) The Western States Association: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming;
(ii) The Midwestern States Association: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin;
(iii) The Northeastern States Association: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the Virgin Islands; and
(iv) The Southern States Association: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
(3) A secretary, a treasurer, and such other officers as the Republican National Committee shall deem necessary, all to be elected by the Republican National Committee.
(b) The chairman, co-chairman, and all other officers shall be elected in January of each odd-numbered year. All officers, except the vice chairmen, shall be nominated from the floor and shall have at least the majority vote of the Republican National Committee members in each of three (3) states in order to have their names placed in nomination. There shall be no nominating committee.
(c) The eight (8) vice chairmen shall be elected at regional caucuses by the Republican National Committee members of the four (4) regions and shall be residents of and Republican National Committee members from their respective regions. The election shall take place in January of each odd-numbered year. The election of vice chairmen shall not require confirmation by the Republican National Committee.
(d) The chairman shall appoint a general counsel for the Republican National Committee, who will also serve as counsel to committees and subcommittees of the Republican National Committee, and a chairman of the Republican Finance Committee, both of whom shall be confirmed by the Republican National Committee and shall serve at the will of the chairman. In the event of the death, resignation, disqualification or disability of the chairman of the Republican National Committee, the general counsel for the Republican National Committee and the chairman of the Republican Finance Committee shall continue to serve in office until such time as the vacancy in the chairmanship has been filled pursuant to Rule 4(c) and his or her successor is appointed by the new chairman of the Republican National Committee and confirmed by the Republican National Committee.
I think I was wrong about elected officials. In our State the elected officials sit on the State Committee but the following says who is on the National Committee:
Organization of the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee shall have the general management of the Republican Party, subject to direction from the national convention. The members of the Republican National Committee shall consist of one (1) national committeeman and one (1) national committeewoman from, and the chairman of the state Republican Party of, each state. For the purposes of this rule and all other rules, the definition of “state” or “states” shall be that as defined in Rule No. 26.
"who shall be elected by the members of the Republican National Committee"
"c) The eight (8) vice chairmen shall be elected at regional caucuses by the Republican National Committee members of the four (4) regions and shall be residents of and Republican National Committee members from their respective regions."
Looks like Bush is just someone who puts forth the name. Looks like the RNC can say "thanks, but no thanks." Especially with a lame duck president.