GOP leadership knew what they were getting with Steele. The GOP is on the exit lane on pro-life. Take a look at the Governors plus RINOs also Guiliani had a lot of support. They are desperate to break out of the Bible belt and corn belt and pro-life is ripe to be thrown under the campaign bus. On abortion, Pro-life will have to depend of the clergy convincing women rather than convincing politicians.
If they take that route, the GOP will become extinct. They will lose the social conservative vote, and they will not gain anything in the liberal states, where the Democrats will continue to outbid them.
Being the “me too” party is a losing strategy. Just ask the Conservative Party in the UK. Labour has gotten more and more tired and disliked, the the Conservatives just don’t represent a real alternative, and never will as long as they say, “Choose us, we’re Labour Lite.”