I really like Newt, but I personally would much rather see Michael Steele as the head of the RNC.  Newt, God love him, is part of the old Republican guard.  He had his chance, and he let his personal failings get in the way of his message. 

Steele is an effective messenger, even though the one time I’ve seen him speak in public left me less than enthused.  It also appears to me that he can be a good leader.  And as much as I hate to focus on his race, we have to recognize outsiders think GOP stands for Gray Old Palefaces.  Michael Steele would show Americans that we ARE diverse, no matter what Spike Lee says.  His prominence will also encourage more minorities to listen to our message.

Update: Here’s some notes from a conference call Steele had on his run for the chair.  The post includes another take on why we should push for Steele to be the chair.  As an African-American, he won’t be burdened with the race card when attacking Obama’s policies.  In fact, as Allah points out, it would bait the left into showing their true colors when it comes to race.  They consider Republicans of color either race traitors or “house slaves,” all the while berating the party for not having enough people of color as members.