Steele Scrambles to Contain Fallout From War Remark as GOP Criticism Mounts
Conservative commentators and GOP lawmakers were virtually united in condemning the party chairman for the remarks, voicing their support for the escalating U.S. military campaign in the country while scolding Steele for his “uninformed” statement. Some called for his resignation, one senator demanded he apologize to the military and at least one local GOP official is considering challenging Steele for his post.
FOXNews.com
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele was scrambling to contain the fallout over the holiday weekend from his remarks claiming Afghanistan is a “war of Obama’s choosing,” which the United States never really “wanted to engage in.”
Conservative commentators and GOP lawmakers were virtually united in condemning the party chairman for the remarks, voicing their support for the escalating U.S. military campaign in the country while scolding Steele for his “uninformed” statement. Some called for his resignation, one senator demanded he apologize to the military and at least one local GOP official is considering challenging Steele for his post.
It was the most public thrashing the chairman, who has a reputation for ad-libbing on delicate issues, has endured during his controversial tenure — and while Steele downplayed the backlash in a public statement Friday, behind the scenes he was actively seeking support from insiders.
Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol, one of the earliest to call for Steele to step down, said on “Fox News Sunday” that the GOP chairman called him on Saturday to “persuade me that the remarks were taken out of context.” Kristol was not moved, though he said they had a “long conversation” on the topic.
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