Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said this week that he is not backing Michael Steele, the embattled chairman of the Republican National Committee, who is seeking re-election next week.
“I’m not backing anybody,” McDonnell said in an interview. “I think there are some challenges within the RNC right now in terms of fundraising and grassroots organization that weren’t up standards during this last election so at this point I’m not making an endorsement one way or another.”
Now, let’s go to the not-so-way-back machine to 2009, when Michael Steele was busy doing everything he could to make Bob McDonnell governor of Virginia. Here’s McDonnell talking about BFF Steele in May 2009, for instance.
Hey, Michael Steele is a great guy. He and I have been friends for several years. I campaigned with him when he ran for lieutenant governor in Maryland — when he ran for the senate {in 2006}.
He’s a great, passionate, conservative leader for our party. Look, any time you start a new job people pick on you. That happened to me when I ran for attorney general. But he’s doing a terrific job. He’s unifying our party. He’s bringing people together. He’s travelling tirelessly around the country to promote the conservative cause and translating conservative principles into good government, practical solutions, common sense ideas.
So, I’m delighted Michael Steele is here in Southwest Virginia to campaign with me today, and he’s going to be back in Virginia a lot for the next five months helping me win.
Which is exactly what Steele did, directing “an unprecedented $8 million to Republicans in Virginia in 2009 when McDonnell ran for governor.” It seems that with Bob McDonnell, loyalty only goes one way: his!
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