A reoccurring talking point over the majority of the last year, especially form the White House, has been that Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican party.  It has been argued back and forth ad nauseam among liberal and  conservative talking heads saying Limbaugh is only an entertainer and not to be taken seriously as a real leader of elected Republican officials, or that he is indeed the leader of the Republican party with a huge listener base for his radio show.

Most people would point you towards several incidents when an elected official like Representative Gingrey publicly apologized to Mr. Limbaugh, or when Michael Steele apologized for remarks about Rush as evidence that he may actually be the defacto leader of the party.

Now there is a new poll provided by the television show 60 Minutes along with Vanity Fair that asked who is America's most influential conservative voice?  The results had 26% of respondents choosing Rush Limbaugh as the most influential voice for the conservative movement in America, followed by Glenn Beck with 11% and Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin with 10%.

Take it for what it's worth, as well as the fact that Rush is always more popular when a Democrat is in the White House, but if that is the list of people to lead the Republicans back to power in 2012, I'm not sure whether to laugh or be frightened.