Here are the views expressed by American conservative political commentator Michael Steele.
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Steele is opposed to abortion.[1] He has said he thinks Roe v. Wade was "wrongly decided"[2] and "should be overturned."[1] Steele was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee during his run for Senate in 2006.[1] In a March 2009, GQ interview, after stating that abortion is "an individual choice", Steele followed up with the assertion that "[t]he individual choice rests in the states" and is a decision "[t]he states should make...."[2] In the same interview, Steele stated that he "absolutely" believes there is room for a "pro-choice" candidate in the GOP.[2]
On March 12, 2009, GQ published an interview in which Steele said abortion is "absolutely... an individual choice", to be decided at the state level.[3] Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, the Christian Coalition,[4] and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council criticized Steele's remarks.[5] In response to his GOP critics, Steele told Gentleman's Quarterly, "I ask God, 'Hey, let me show just a little bit of love, so I absolutely don't go out and kick this person's ass'".[6]
As Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, Steele committed $70 million in grants and loan guarantees for small and minority-owned businesses.[7] "Studies show enormous disparities still exist in education, healthcare, employment and economic opportunities along racial lines in the United States. I believe programs are still necessary to help close these divides. I support giving people opportunities. Programs must be fair to all Marylanders – of every color – and they should focus on economic empowerment." ... "We're just beginning to rediscover what we should be doing with affirmative action. Don't look at our universities. We got that. Let's look at our boardrooms, let's look at the management structure."[7]
"I think if the government were to get out of the way and let the small business community and corporations of America weed themselves through this process, it's survival of the fittest".[8]
"We are cooling. We are not warming. The warming you see out there, the supposed warming, and I use my fingers as quotation marks, is part of the cooling process. Greenland, which is covered in ice, it was once called Greenland for a reason, right?"[9][10]
"Society should draw lines. What do you need an assault weapon for, if you're going hunting? That's overkill. But I don't think that means you go to a total ban for those who want to use gun for skeet shooting or hunting or things like that. But what's the point of passing gun laws if we're not going to enforce them? If you want to talk about gun control, that's where you need to start. We've got 300 gun laws on the books right now. At the end of the day, it's about how we enforce the law."[11]
"Secure our borders first. Let us know and let us make sure the American people know that we're taking care of the important business of dealing with the illegal immigration into this country. You cannot begin to address the concerns of the people who are already here unless and until you have made certain that no more are coming in behind them."[12]
"How do we engage in an enemy we can't see? How do we understand and know their next move? This is going to be a challenging question of the day...I'm not for shooting first and asking questions later." He believes in using "smart intelligence on the ground" while "preparing and placing ourselves in a position to act."[13]
Steele has stated that he personally opposes a federal marriage amendment to ban same-sex marriage and believes that states should decide the issue for themselves, but has indicated he would uphold the current party platform and thus support the amendment. He rates the issue of banning same-sex marriage low in importance.[14][15] Steele opposes same sex civil unions.[16]
"We have a lot to gain through furthering stem cell research, but medical breakthroughs should be fundamentally about saving, not destroying, human life. Therefore, I support stem cell research that does not destroy the embryo."[17] In February 2006 Steele compared embryonic stem cell research to medical experiments performed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, remarks for which he later apologized.[18]
July 2, 2010 video footage of Steele was released in which he stated that the Afghan war was "a war of Obama's choosing. If he's such a student of history has he not understood that, you know, that's the one thing you don't do - is engage in a land war in Afghanistan? Everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history has failed."[19] He also said the war was "not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in."[20] In July 2010, neoconservative William Kristol called for Steele to resign and Former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove referred to Steele's comment as "boneheaded".[21] The War in Afghanistan was initiated by George W. Bush in October 2001 in retaliation for the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. and Barack Obama has increased troop levels there since taking office.[22] John McCain, Arizona Senator and Republican nominee for president in the 2008 election, withdrew his support from Steele, calling Steele's comments "wildly inaccurate... there is no excuse for them", saying "I think that Mr. Steele is going to have to assess as to whether he can still lead the Republican Party as chairman of the Republican National Committee."[23] McCain's comments have been echoed by Senator Jim DeMint, who said Steele should "apologise to our military, all the men and women who've been fighting in Afghanistan" and Senator Lindsey Graham who said "It was an uninformed, unnecessary, unwise, untimely comment. This is not President Obama's war, this is America's war. We need to stand behind the president." Former Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Elizabeth Cheney has also called for Steele to resign. Congressman Ron Paul, who is known for his generally antiwar stance, has come out in support of Steele, however, saying "Michael Steele has it right, and Republicans should stick by him."[24]
"It is imperative we improve conditions on the ground so we can bring our troops home as quickly as possible and have the Iraqi people take control of their own destiny. At the same time, we should not publicly state a timetable for implementation. I do not support a 'cut and run strategy.' Any politician out there talking about timetables and timelines is playing into the hands of our enemies who have an enormous capacity to wait. It would be a disaster for us to cut and run, as it would destroy our credibility in the region for at least a generation. At the same time, it is the Iraqis themselves that will ultimately have to make democracy work in their country. We should stay there only long enough to give the Iraqi people the tools they need to secure the very democracy they voted for three times. After that, it's up to them."[25]