Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's already rocky tenure got even more turbulent on Tuesday after the committee's political director quit his post and then penned and leaked a stinging letter rebuking his former boss.
The five-page letter, authored by longtime GOP operative Gentry Collins, accused Steele of gross mismanagement of RNC finances, failure to manage Republican Party operations, and misfiring on key elections during the 2010 cycle. The RNC responded in due course with a statement touting the major -- indeed, historic -- advances that the party made during the just-completed cycle.
"I called upon Mr. Steele to resign," said Doug MacKinnon, a one-time adviser to former Majority Leader Bob Dole. "Mr. Collins' letter is just further evidence that Mr. Steele is not up to the job. For the good of the GOP and in my opinion, for the good of the nation, Mr. Steele must walk away from the RNC and turn the reins over to more capable, committed and energetic hands."
"The only people left who care about Steele are his inner circle who were on his Senate campaign team in '06," said one GOP operative who has close ties to the RNC.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/16/steele-isolated-at-his-ow_n_784461.html