ore than a century ago, New York's infamous William ''Boss'' Tweed delivered one of his pithy political observations: ''I don't care who does the electing,'' he said, ''so long as I do the nominating.''

Nearly every remnant of Tweed's Tammany Hall machine is, mercifully, a historical footnote now. But the effort by Republican insiders to keep Senator John McCain of Arizona off New York's presidential primary ballot has the state GOP contending for Tweed's tarnished mantle.

The effort is patently undemocratic. Party officials, following the lead of New York's Governor George Pataki, are almost all supporting Governor George W. Bush of Texas for the Republican nomination. Yesterday they gleefully announced that they are challenging the petitions filed by the McCain campaign in more than half the state's 31 congressional districts in an attempt to deny McCain a spot on the March 7 primary ballot.

This is a long-running issue. In 1996 Steve Forbes was about to be similarly victimized but sued successfully for standing on the ballot. The party should have learned its lesson then, but it did not. It is continuing to enforce rules that are unconscionably arcane.

The Republican National Committee should be pushing New York to end this embarrassment, yet it has done nothing. But it is Bush (along with McCain, of course) who has the most at stake.

Pataki and his minions may feel they are helping Bush, but the public message is very different. Bush should see this even if his New York allies can't. Their effort makes it seem as if Bush lacks confidence to take his case to the voters in a fair fight against McCain.

In addition, just as Bush is trying to portray McCain as a Washington insider, it is Bush's supporters who are using Tammany Hall tactics. The statement from a Bush campaign aide that '' it's a decision for the state party to make'' should be as unacceptable to Bush as to the public.

Now is the time for Bush to show some leadership and renounce his supporters' Tweed-like efforts - after he puts a stop to them.