Since once you have a group using commands and fiddling with the selection (which requires clobbering it at least temporarily), you can do whatever you like with group sub-elements (adding, deleting, inserting, etc), it seems a shame to require a command just to create a group.
'Twould be ideal if one could just create a group node, add stuff to it, and then insert it in the graph, with no use of commands/selection fiddling.
(Kerri says she agrees with me. 
)