The worst thing about the replacement of House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner with a new leader is that it is distracting Republicans everywhere from what really needs to be happening.

To hear the conservative critics tell it, Boehner was not aggressive enough in challenging the Obama administration. What some appear to want are shut-down-the-government confrontations. But those confrontations have proved disastrous for Republicans.

What is desperately needed are credible alternatives to President Obama’s policies.