Steele to Rush: I Take It All Back

Republicans just can’t stay mad at Rush Limbaugh. A few weeks ago, Rep. Phil Gingrey begged forgiveness after criticizing the radio host. Yesterday, Politico reports, RNC chair Michael Steele came crawling back to Limbaugh, saying he didn’t meant it when he dismissed Limbaugh as an "entertainer" and "incendiary" Saturday night on CNN. Explains the apologetic Steele, "I was maybe a little bit inarticulate."

"I was saying one thing, and it came out differently," says Steele, who now calls Limbaugh "a very valuable conservative voice for our party." Democrats see Steele’s apology as evidence of who really runs the GOP. Says Steele’s counterpart, Tim Kaine, "His apology to Limbaugh proves the unfortunate point that Limbaugh is the leading force behind the Republican Party." (More Michael Steele stories.)