Time to say goodbye to Mr. Steele

Rick Moran in American Thinker:

The RNC chairman's comments about Afghanistan were pretty clueless, but I think the growing chorus from GOP heavyweights for Michael Steele to step down is a cumulative effect of his verbal gaffes rather than this particular instance of idiocy.

Bill Kristol:

You are, I know, a patriot. So I ask you to consider, over this July 4 weekend, doing an act of service for the country you love: Resign as chairman of the Republican party.

Your tenure has of course been marked by gaffes and embarrassments, but I for one have never paid much attention to them, and have never thought they would matter much to the success of the causes and principles we share. But now you have said, about the war in Afghanistan, speaking as RNC chairman at an RNC event, "Keep in mind again, federal candidates, this was a war of Obama's choosing. This was not something that the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in." And, "if [Obama] is such a student of history, has he not understood that you know that's the one thing you don't do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan?"

Needless to say, the war in Afghanistan was not "a war of Obama's choosing." It has been prosecuted by the United States under Presidents Bush and Obama. Republicans have consistently supported the effort. Indeed, as the DNC Communications Director (of all people) has said, your statement "puts [you] at odds with about 100 percent of the Republican Party."

I think he should have resigned after the fund raising scandals last spring, but GOP insiders thought differently. Now he has not only undercut his own party, but has shown himself to be out of touch with candidates for office who support our mission in Afghanistan.

Steele will likely force the GOP to fire him, knowing how bad it would look for the party to fire one of the few visible blacks in a leadership position. He has banked on this before, but it might not save him this time.

I agree with both Mr. Moran and Mr. Kristol. Michael Steele should step down. I was a supporter of Mr. Steels's appointment as chairman of the RNC, as I supported his unsuccessful run for the Senate. However his performance in office has been disappointing with a continuing series of "gaffes and embarrassments" and it is time he went.

One of the central goals of the "Tea Party Movement" is to effect a change in the way the RNC operates. Now and in the past it has supported any Republican incumbent and any Republican challenger to an incumbent Democrat. This needs to change.

The RNC MUST begin to seek out and support the most conservative Republican who can realistically win in any given house district or state and support that candidate even if it means campaigning against a Republican incumbent.

Mr. Steele has shown time and again that he is not the man to bring about that kind of essential change and it is time for him to go.