Michael Steele's Abortion Aberration
"I see the power of life in that — I mean, and the power of choice! The thing to keep in mind about it ... Uh, you know, I think as a country we get off on these misguided conversations that throw around terms that really misrepresent truth ... I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice."
— Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, in an interview with GQ, mistakenly echoing the language of the abortions-rights movement (Feb. 24)
The gaffe wouldn't have been so bad if Steele hadn't spent months trying to convince the Republican Party that he was a "pro-life Roman Catholic conservative" who deserved to be at the helm. But after being elevated to the top, Steele started saying some questionable things, leading some in the party to call for his resignation. Steele tried to backtrack from this mistake and ended up lying low until it blew over — at which point he made new gaffes.