If we’re all in this together, who’s taking the lead?

It is the once-a-year chance to take the center stage in state politics, the governor's annual State of the State speech.

On Tuesday, Gov. Linda Lingle enters to state House chambers to make her sixth State of the State address.

In a radio address last week, Lingle sounded like Smokey the Bear warning that "Only you can prevent forest fires" as she intoned, "Our state's future success is all our responsibility."

You have to hope the SOS is more compelling.

From unveiling an idea for single-member school districts to ushering in a hoped-for pro-business climate, Lingle's speeches have failed to convince many at the Legislature.

In her first State of the State speech, Lingle predicted the problem, saying that if she urges the state to head north and the Legislature's majority Democrats say "Go south," Hawaii winds up going nowhere.

For Lingle, however, the stagnation has been not so much with the state as within her own party.

From a high of 19 GOP members in the House, the Republicans have shrunk to less than half that number.

What neither Lingle in her past State of the State speeches nor the local GOP in its party activities has provided is a clear definition of what the party is.

In tough economic times, it was easy to second-guess the majority Democrats and proclaim that the Republicans are not like that, they would perform better.

In contrast, Democrats in the controlling majority need not wonder about the soul of the party, because with super majorities in the Legislature and with an all-Democratic congressional delegation in Washington, your political soul is already saved.

Not so for the Grand Old Party.

In the governor's speeches, stressing that we are all in this together, the public never knows what leadership is, what a Republican leader is and where she will take the state.

If Lingle can use her speech on Tuesday as a chance to clearly state her values of leadership, it would go a long way toward defining Hawaii's Republican Party and her own legacy.

Richard Borreca writes on politics for the Star-Bulletin. He can be reached by e-mail at rborreca@starbulletin.com.