Steele be gone

Could anyone not have anticipated this? From the very beginning of his tenure, it was clear he was a caretaker.

Turning their attention to the 2012 presidential election, Republican leaders are digging in for a battle over control of the Republican National Committee, judging that its role in fund-raising, get-out-the-vote operations and other tasks will be critical to the effort to topple President Obama.

So far, the effort has been tentative, with Mr. Steele’s most ardent opponents working behind the scenes to persuade an alternative to run against him — fearful that any overt moves will create a backlash in Mr. Steele’s favor among those committee members who tend to view the establishment in Washington with suspicion.

Of course, as long as Steele in chairman he, also, is part of the establishment, as are those teabags that propose they are not. Nonetheless, McConnell and Boehner are trying to play both sides of the field, establishment and teabags.