Posted on 07/05/2010 1:13:40 PM PDT by presidio9
Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham spoke from the war zone Sunday to condemn GOP chairman Michael Steele's comment that Afghanistan was a "war of Obama's choosing."
Neither GOP lawmaker, however, was outraged enough to demand Steele's resignation, as some other Republican have done. Both said from Kabul it was up to Steele to decide whether he could continue to lead the party.
Steele's remarks, a political gift to Democrats in a congressional election year, were captured Thursday on camera, during a Connecticut fundraiser that was closed to the news media, and posted online. The comments would make it difficult for Republican candidates to have Steele campaign for them.
"I think those statements are wildly inaccurate and there's no excuse for them," McCain said, adding that Steele sent the Arizona senator an e-mail saying the remarks "were misconstrued."
"I believe we have to win here. I believe in freedom. But the fact is that I think that Mr. Steele is going to have to assess as to whether he can still lead the Republican Party as chairman of the Republican National Committee and make an appropriate decision," McCain told ABC's "This Week."
Graham, R-S.C., described himself as "dismayed, angry and upset. It was an uninformed, unnecessary, unwise, untimely comment."
He told CBS' "Face the Nation" that "this is not President Obama's war. This is American's war. We need to stand behind the president."
Asked whether Steele should quit, Graham said, "It's up to him to see if he can lead the Republican Party. It couldn't have come at
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
It cracks me up that being a RINO does not faze these RINOs about Steele...
...its having a pair and calling out Obama that gets this ‘mostly RINO’ into trouble.
the RNC needs a major overhaul and removal of the McCains, and Grahams of the party....
I'm sorry, is this supposed to be considered a bad thing??
I just wish Graham and the other weak sisters could get their courage up enough to feel this way about the Democrats and their scorched earth policy on the constitution.
Sure Steele said some dumb things, but it is not even worth commenting on given the Chaos and bedlam going on in our government.
The left isn’t spelling things out for me: Michael Steel is confused and thinks Barry started the war in Afghanistan. Is his ignorance due to the fact that he’s black?
1. Liz Cheney 2. Ken Blackwell. Nominations are now closed.
I have to say that if McCain and Graham are against Steele, I am sympathetic toward him.
Steele was playing off the left wing slogan that Iraq was a war of choice therefore unnecessary. If it were the Kenyan’s gaffe, it would be shrugged off as “inartful”.
McCain and Graham are too stupid to be team players.
Yes, I agree with you.
No one is going to change their vote to Democratic just because of what Michael Steele says.
Steele is not our enemy here.
BTW is there any private investigative firm or National Enquirer-esque publication I can donate to so we can finally get the goods on Senator Lindsey's homosexuality so I don't have to listen/look at him making the rounds in the media?
just tell me where to donate for that cause .
I don’t want him on the hot seat, I want him on the ejection seat.
Do you really believe that Michael Steele believes Obama “started” the war in Afghanistan? I’m no fan of Steele but NOBODY really believes he is that stupid. It is certainly true that the war of Obama’s “choosing.” Obama supported from the beginning and escalated it once in office. Steele’s other comments about the folly of a land war in Asia and the failure of ANYONE to conquer Afghanistan were spot on. Pleaes note that his critics are ignoring those. I wonder why?
I’d rather put his leading critic Billy Kristol on the ejection seat. To each his own.
As I've posted before, I think Michael Steel has been a huge disappointment as RNC chairman. His remarks on the war in Afghanistan were dumb but if this gaffe were his only major blunder, I would gladly tell McCain and Graham to go pound sand. Unfortunately, Steel has made other dumb statements. I haven't forgotten his unnecessary public dissing of Rush Limbaugh, calling Rush's radio show 'ugly'. Rush, while certainly imperfect, has been a stalwart and influential promoter of the Republican party for over two decades. At that time I thought Steel was just flustered and spoke in haste, trying to pander to his the interviewer (D.L. Hueyley). Steel quickly backtracked and apologized to Rush, who accepted and helped put an end to the controversy, fanned by the liberal media, of course. Then there was Michael Steel on Sean Hannity's TV show declaring that the GOP wouldn't win a voting majority in the House this election year. Dumb - and frustrating.
Michael Steel is hurting the Republican party at a crucial time in our nation's history when traditional values are under attack and the vote is the best weapon we have to defeat the leftists attempting to tear down the U.S., economically, militarily and internally. The GOP has to field conservative candidates and take advantage of the distrust Americans now have with Obama and most elected politicians (with good reason). We must win in November or cede our nation's existence as we know it to the left and their plans to make America little more than a second-class country. A blundering RNC Chairman making inane remarks in public settings can no longer be tolerated. Granted, Steele's Afghanistan comments were in a supposed unrecorded, private assembly - but hurt just the same.
I'm not sure if Steele is inept, inarticulate - or both but whatever the case, he is rapidly becoming a liability to the Republican party and should resign his post. If RINOs like McCain and Graham are complaining about Steele, he may be squeezed out. The big question is, who would replace him? If its going to be some RINO-lover, then we're in big trouble. Frankly, replacing the clearly ineffective Michael Steele as RNC chairman would be a splendid time for conservatives to assert their wishes by insisting on a conservative-friendly replacement. We'll see.
Interesting how McQueeg and Grahmnesty are more critical of Steele for his gaffe than they are of liberal activist Elena Kagan who may serve on the SCOTUS for the next 50 years.
Screw McCain and Graham (can I say that?) After all I am from Arizona.
I’m not fan of Steele, but I don’t see big deal with saying that Afghanistan is 0bama’s choosing. During the presidential election, 0bama did choose Afghanistan over Iraq. Base on this premise, 0bama should have done well in Afghanistan (or better than Iraq), but he doesn’t.
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