Michael Steele Travels Through Time

Poor Michael Steele's recent stretch of misstatements and infighting continues right on into the weekend. Already rumored to be in danger of losing his job as RNC chairman after recent clashes with Republican leaders over his pessimistic projections for the 2010 midterm elections and his weak fundraising, Steele added another gaffe to the mix Friday while talking about his new book, Right Now. Facing criticism from Republican officials who say that they did not know about the book before its release and that it could be misinterpreted as an official party statement, Steele told radio host Laura Ingraham that he "wrote this book before I became chairman. Because of the clock and the calendar, I wound up doing it now." But Talking Points Memo's Eric Kleefeld quickly noted that the book contains scores of references to events from recent months, including the health-care debate, the Ft. Hood shooting, the stimulus bill, the Tea Party movement, and the confirmation of Justice Sonia Sotomayor. According to Steele's publisher, he was working on the book before he became chairman but "made some updates recently."