Steele admits he criticized GOP in interview

The Washington Post ^ | July 26, 2006 | John Wagner and Robert Barnes

[seanmerc]

Steele Admits He Criticized GOP in Interview Unnamed Candidate Said Being Republican Was Like Wearing 'Scarlet Letter'

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's Senate campaign acknowledged yesterday that he was the anonymous candidate quoted by a Washington Post political reporter as saying that being a Republican was like wearing a "scarlet letter" and that he did not want President Bush to campaign for him this fall.

The campaign made the disclosure after a day of speculation in the blogosphere and among political reporters about which Republican Senate candidate had made the disparaging remarks reported by Dana Milbank in the Washington Sketch column in yesterday's Post.

Democrats in Maryland and Washington pounced on the comments to portray Steele as either a chameleon or a hypocrite.

"He realizes that he can't win being a conservative Republican in Maryland in 2006," said Maryland Democratic Party spokesman Arthur Harris. "He's out of touch with the majority of Marylanders."

State Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman pointed out in a statement that Steele has held fundraisers with the president, Vice President Cheney, Bush adviser Karl Rove and National Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman.

"He has taken millions from Bush and his top aides and even endorsed Bush in a prime-time Republican National Convention speech in August 2004," Lierman said.

During a luncheon with reporters at which he agreed to be quoted only as a Republican Senate candidate, Steele criticized the Iraq war effort and Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina and said congressional Republicans have "lost our way," according to Milbank's report.

Asked whether he would invite Bush to campaign for him, he replied, considering Bush's low approval rating in Maryland, "to be honest with you, probably not."

[Chuck54]

(....that don't like your mate)

Bingo!

:)

[KC Burke]

I didn't get to hear him, what did he say.

Steele could have made pointed differences with the administation and still been a solid Maryland version of the Republican Party. However, to express those distictions, in suppossed confidence to the press, and hope that that would be the easier way to make that distiction to the Maryland public, was a rookie mistake of embarrasing proportions.

I hope that this is Steele's last big mistep. I have a step son in Maryland and he would like to have Steele's representation instead of the Democrats.

[Sgt_Schultze]

You can hear the interview here. Look for the "listen" link.

[nonliberal]

The only way I would break with Bush on the WOT is that it is not being prosecuted vigourously enough. We aren't waxing enough terrorists.

[xlib]

Even if he is elected, he just kissed any Committee Chairmanships goodbye.

Two words: Arlen Specter.

[NeoCaveman]

'"We've lost our way, we've gone to the well and we drank the water, and we shouldn't have," he said of congressional Republicans. "You don't go to Congress to become the party that you've been fighting for 40 years." Lamenting "the spending, the finger-pointing, not getting the bills passed," he counseled: "Just shut up and get something done."'

Can't argue with that!

[NeoCaveman]

Even if he is elected, he just kissed any Committee Chairmanships goodbye.

Freshman don't typically get Chairmanships right off the bat. I don't think so anyways.

Besides such behavior doesn't seem to impede the prospects of McCain, Specter, Graham, Chafee, etc.

Heck I think you get rewarded for bad behavior, that's why there is so much of it.

[Rosemont]

Fed up with RINO's sucking up to the MSM.