Michael Steele- Enough Already

Michael Steele


I have to say at the outset that I have always liked Michael Steele. He seemed like a good guy, and I figured he was a rising star in the Republican Party. When he was running for senator for Maryland, he was treated shamefully by black Democrats. He was called words like "Oreo" and "Uncle Tom" and Oreo cookies were thrown at his feet. Nobody ever apologized, and not even white Democrats in Maryland would condemn his treatment. This latest statement, gaffe, or whatever you want to call it convinces me that he has no real future in politics.

He may have actually misspoken when he called Afghanistan "Obama's war of choice", but even the most generous interpretation would imply that Steele is the Republican version of Joe Biden. It was not a war of choice; it came on the heels of 9-11 under George W Bush and was initiated because the Taliban was sheltering al-Qaeda and refused to turn them over after we were attacked. It was a war that had to be fought. What we should be doing now or in the future about Afghanistan is the subject of another debate. If we leave now, then that country will certainly return to what it was on September 10, 2001.

Steele, by most accounts-even on the Republican side- has not distinguished himself since his unsuccessfull Senate run. His RNC chairmanship has been mediocre at best and plagued by a spending scandal. To think of him as a future presidential or even vice-presidential candidate is not realistic. His current position is too important to Republicans in terms of future elections-which are, in themselves, of vital importance to the country.

It is time for Michael Steele to step down.