Pace Josh Green

Josh Green is a political columnist for the Boston Globe, and I am not. You can use that information to determine whose opinion you consider more valid. (For the record, I typically agree with what he writes, and he comes across as the kind of guy I'd choose to hang out with given the opportunity.)

In his post about the possible departure of walking punchline Michael Steele from the chairmanship of the RNC, Green writes:

[T]he episode that I myself believe cemented Steele's hard-earned reputation for exquisite buffoonery, once and for all: Allowing himself to be photographed with RNC interns in a series of poses that would mortify even the most unselfconscious 11-year-old aspiring rapper. (See [below].)

How Steele imagined he would ever again be taken seriously is beyond me--and it's not a semantic question. People forget, but only a few years ago, Steele was considered one of his party's brightest new stars. In any event, it'll be a shame if all that fun is about to end.

I must respectfully disagree with Green on this one. Admittedly, the pictures in question were patently goofy. But they were also undeniably good-humored, and demonstrated a generosity toward the young people who had come to work as interns for the GOP. (Whether interns in DC deserve anything other than scorn is a separate question.) It may not have redounded to his gravitas, perhaps, but it made him seem likable.

Those "Top 10 Gaffes", on the other hand? Painful.