Someone's a bit touchy. From CNN's Political Ticker:
In an unusual move for the person tasked with being his party's top cheerleader, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is shining a light on the political vulnerabilities of one of the GOP's top figures and a likely frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination — former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.Not to defend Michael Steele when he's down, but Steele is right. In a Rasmussen poll taken during the primaries, 51% of evangelicals said they would never vote for a Mormon. So Steele was telling the truth. Maybe Romney was just lying for the lord. You know how testy those Mormons can get when you try holding them to the church.
Now Romney's team is hitting back.
Steele, guest-hosting on Bill Bennett's radio show Friday, cast doubt on Romney's conservative bona fides and blamed the Republican base for rejecting Romney last year because "it had issues with Mormonism" and was unsure of Romney's commitment to opposing to abortion rights. Those comments aren't sitting too well with Romney's political team.
"Sometimes when you shoot from the hip, you miss the target," said Romney spokesman Eric Ferhnstrom. "This is one of those times."
UPDATE: Steele has already apologized. Kind of. He apologized that others misinterpreted his words. Which is actually kind of bitchy. Regardless, Steele was right, as the Rasmussen poll proves.
