Anyone who follows politics knows that, despite all the campaigning and fundraising the candidates do, ultimately, the rules go a long way toward picking primary winners.
For example, consider the following questions:
... If New Hampshire weren't the first primary, would McCain have won the GOP nomination in '08?
... If the DNC had not refused to seat Florida's delegates, would Hillary have won the Democratic nomination?
Soren goes on to write,
The key thing is that Steele picks 11 of the members and will have almost complete control over the committee, if he wants it. What will Michael Steele do? What will Michael Steele want? This could be a major legacy of his term as chairman. It will complete before he has to run for re-election in 2011, and it will probably mark the beginning of Presidential maneuvering. Also, given the differences between RNC and DNC rules, whatever deal that Steele cuts with the Democrats on this will likely be long-standing.