Frank Rich on Michael Steele: "Clownish Like a Fox"

As Frank Rich points out in the NYTimes, conservatives like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and Michael Steele are making serious money off of the "Tea Party" movement. Palin is reportedly being paid $120,000 to speak at the Tea Party convention, Beck uses his viewers' apocalyptic fears to sell them gold coins, and Steele is using his status as the Republican Party's appointed Obama-fighter to sell his book and "speaking skills" to the largely Obama-hating Tea Partiers. For Steele, this is another example of his taking advantage of his unique position as by far the most well-known African American in the Republican party. He's been calling out others for "displaying racism" and "playing the race card" while gleefully doing both himself. He offered Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal "slum love," claimed that he would use "fried chicken" to attract minority voters, and, my personal favorite, used the phrase "honest Injun" in a television interview.