State GOP officials won't back Biggert's call for Steele's resignation

Suburban GOP officials Thursday cited frustrations with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's defeatist comments about the Afghanistan war, calling them a distraction from the party's key mission.

Yet while Rep. Judy Biggert of Hinsdale called for Steele's resignation, others in the party stopped short.

Illinois National Committeeman Pat Brady, of St. Charles, said he believed there was no way Steele would resign, or should for that matter.

"I think he has a lot of support among voting members of the national committee," Brady said. "A lot of good things have happened. In Illinois, Steele's been very helpful. Financial and otherwise."

Still, Brady called Steele's comments were an unfortunate distraction, with key congressional and governor elections just months away.

The chairman said at a Connecticut fundraiser last week that the war in Afghanistan was a mistake - one chosen by President Barack Obama.

But the war began long before Obama was elected, and most Republican officials support the war. Steele later issued a statement emphasizing his support of U.S. troops.

"I think that was a huge mistake," Biggert said on WLS-AM radio Wednesday. "I've been over there, you know our troops are so committed in what they're doing and for them to hear what he had to say, it's just outrageous that we should just leave. It's really bad. I would call for him to step down, too."

In an interview Thursday, Biggert said that Steele "doesn't speak for me, and the great (Republican) candidates in Illinois."

As the head of the Republican National Committee, she noted, Steele's job is to galvanize party members and coordinate election campaigns.

"It is not his job to make policy statements. His job is to provide resources, raising funds for candidates," she said.

Republican Rep. and Senate candidate Mark Kirk, of Highland Park, said Steele should "reassess" his job leading the party, but did not say whether he should resign.

This is not the first time Steele has raised eyebrows in his current role.

Elected in 2008, his tenure has been rocky, with allegations of questionable spending, anemic fundraising and staff shake-ups, in what some critics say undermines his role to galvanize and coordinate party election campaigns.

"This was not another comment we needed to hear," Biggert said. "We need to have a positive attitude coming into November."

Still, she said, she doesn't plan to focus her energies on campaigning to have him replaced.

"This was just my reaction to a question that was asked of me," she said. "I'm not riding in on a white horse to lead the troops."

Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.