Defend Michael Steele? I never thought I’d be writing that!<\/p>\n
But the neocons, led by Bill Kristol<\/a>, are demanding his resignation as national chairman of the Republican Party.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n At a fundraising event Steele was caught on video<\/a> in a “gaffe” (a technical term signifying that a politician has spoken the truth).<\/p>\n Steele suggested that Afghanistan is “a war of Obama’s choosing.” “Well if he’s such a student of history, has he not understood that, you know, that’s the one thing you don’t do is engage in a land war in Afghanistan,” Steele says of Obama. “Alright? Because everyone who has tried over a thousand years of history has failed. And there are reasons for that. There are other ways to engage in Afghanistan without committing more troops.” Steele suggests America should have a “background” role in the country, “sort of shaping the changes that were necessary in Afghanistan as opposed to directly engaging troops.”<\/p>\n Steele also described the situation around the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal as “very comical.”<\/p>\n Although Steele later backtracked a bit in an official statement, he should be commended for even talking<\/em> about what is quickly becoming the Democrats’ war in such a frank manner. The Democratic National Committee quickly attacked Steele<\/a> for wanting to “walk away from the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban without finishing the job.”<\/p>\n