Gaffes

Michael Steele: GOP 'Disingenuous'

Says Republicans started bailouts in the first place.

It’s been awhile since we’ve had a Michael Steele gaffe. Here you go: “Look, we can't go back out and start pointing fingers at Democrats and saying look how bad they're performing, look at what they're doing with the economy when we jumpstarted this thing,” RNC Chairman Steele said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. “We were the ones that put the $700 billion on the table and said, all right, let's start nationalizing the banking system. … So now, for us to stand back and go, oh, that's a bad thing to do is disingenuous.” Of course this may fit the Michael Kinsley definition of gaffe—“A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth”—but it’s not likely to go over well with the Republican rank-and-file, who already have a target on Steele’s back. Expect a clarification later today.