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.