Sarah Palin for RNC Chair? (Updated)

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A growing number prominent conservatives are calling for the resignation of RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Liz Cheney is the latest to join Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, former South Carolina Republican Party chair Katon Dawson (who ran against Steele for RNC chairman last year), and blogger/CNN contributor Erick Erickson in calling for Steele to step down.

Steele was caught on YouTube Thursday saying that the war in Afghanistan is "a war of Obama’s choosing." The former Maryland Lt. Governor also said, "This was not something that the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in," and he added, "The one thing you don’t do is engage in a land war in Afghanistan."

Caleb Howe, Erickson's colleague at RedState.com, in a Friday op-ed, called Steele's remarks "disgraceful and embarrassingly inaccurate":

Obama did not “choose” this war. This war was brought to our shores on September 11th, 2001. America is fighting the war in Afghanistan. We did so under President Bush, we continue to do so under President Obama. Where others have failed, America succeeds.

Afghanistan is not lost. And Iraq was not lost when Democrats cried defeat. But defending these comments, Mr. Chairman? That's an unwinnable war.

Steele has an unfortunate habit of putting his foot in his mouth. Though a pro-life Catholic, he said in a 2009 interview that abortion is an "individual choice." In another interview last year, he called Rush Limbaugh's rhetoric "incendiary" and "ugly." Shortly after taking the RNC gavel, Steele's choice of phraseology for making the Republican Party more appealing to minorities was questioned when he said he wanted to apply GOP principles to "urban-suburban hip-hop settings." Perhaps the most bizarre thing he has said as RNC Chairman is that his gaffes were actually part of a strategy, the meaning of which had yet to be made clear. If his strategy is to hand the Democrats ammunition to shoot back at the GOP, Chairman Steele is succeeding, at least at that one level.

But the job of RNC chairman isn't rocket science. It's as simple as being an effective cheerleader for the Republican Party, raising a sufficient amount of cash to do battle with the Democrats and not generating negative publicity. Steele has failed to succeed at any one of these three tasks. Much as it hurts to admit it, your editor was one of those who supported Steele for the RNC chairmanship. He had an impressive resume as Lt. Governor of Maryland, chairman of GOPAC, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party and chairman of the Prince George's County Republican Central Committee. He had also delivered blockbuster speeches to the 2004 and 2008 Republican National Conventions. With fundraising experience at the county, state and national levels, as well as a demonstrated ability to speak effectively, he seemed like a natural for the RNC position. But for some reason, since winning his job as RNC, Steele has repeatedly shown that he doesn't engage his brain before he opens his mouth. We agree with those who say that it's time for him to go.

But who should replace Steele at RNC? Some are saying that it should be Sarah Palin, among them The Daily Constitution:

"There is no other Republican today that the progressives hate or fear more than Palin. The GOP desperately needs her leadership, star power, and fund raising abilities to accomplish the political victories in November that the party is hoping for to regain either the House or Senate. After the latest foot in mouth incident by RNC leader Michael Steele, the time for Palin may be near if she is up to the challenge."

While we agree that Gov. Palin is a proven fundraiser and that she really fires up the base, we're not sure that she would want the job. She seems to be enjoying the freedom to do what she's doing as she travels around the country, speaking out on the issues, meeting people, endorsing winners and giving Democrats heartburn. Why would she want to give up that freedom? When she resigned as Governor of Alaska one year ago, Sarah Palin liberated herself. Once liberated, the last thing that should happen to a soaring spirit such as hers would be to have its wings clipped.

Update: AT NRO's The Corner blog, Kevin D. Williamson joins the discussion:

"This is a job for Sarah Palin. Palin would be a much better RNC chairman than presidential candidate or freelance kingmaker. She'd raise tons of money and help recruit good candidates, i.e., she'd excel at doing the things Steele should have been doing instead of appointing himself Republican pundit-at-large."

We still don't see it happening. Not that the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate wouldn't do a great job. We agree with Williamson that she would. But we question his premise that she would be better as RNC chair than as a presidential candidate or freelance kingmaker. She's doing an outstanding job of the latter, and we join with many others who have said that she would be a formidable candidate. It's just that we doubt that the establishment types who dominate the committee would nominate Gov. Palin for the RNC chairmanship, and even if they did, we're not all that sure that she would want to run for the position. But we've been wrong before... once or twice.

- JP