Speaking on Univision, RNC chairman Michael Steele tried to distance the GOP from the new Arizona immigration law (link, video at peekURL.com/vjoo7o3 ). In a minor way this is a good thing in that by so doing he's distancing himself from the Republican base and dragging down other GOP leaders with him.

It's a bad thing because he's giving more power to the far-left, the Democrats, and other illegal immigration supporters. The voiceover to the clip referred to the Arizona law as "anti-immigrant" (in Spanish). Instead of calling them on such lies, Steele propped up the notion that in order to reach out to Hispanics you need to go on a Spanish-language television network that supports illegal immigration and pander to the likes of their host Maria Elena Salinas (she's at the end of the clip above). And, it's not going to do him or the GOP any good: he's promoting concepts that will help the Democrats undercut the GOP.

From the link here's what Steele said:

"The actions of one state's governor is not a reflection of an entire country, nor is it a reflection of an entire political party," he said, referring to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and her support for S.B. 1070.

"The governor and the people of Arizona made a decision that they thought was in their best interest, and that's the beauty of a republic, that's who we are."

Steele has faced criticism as RNC chairman because of his propensity for gaffes and difficulty managing the organization's finances and fundraising efforts.

He said Tuesday that since the immigration debate is now "in full bloom," he hopes that "level heads will prevail" in finding a "commonsense solution" to the immigration issue.

UPDATE: Steele has clarified his remarks to Soledad OBrien, showing again how incompetent he is:

"We support the Republican governor of Arizona in her efforts, but we also recognize that this is a transcendent issue and that for different parts of the country they look at it and approach it differently and Republican candidates and the Republican leadership in those states and those communities have to be able to respond to the needs at that time... We have pro-choice Republicans, we have pro-life Republicans, so I can't say that one of them is a reflection of the entire party... The same is true on this question on Arizona. Some people see that law one way, some people see that law another way. It depends on where you live and what your background is."

Opposing abortion is a popular issue, but so too are those who take the "pro-choice" view. The same isn't true of illegal immigration: large percentages oppose that. There are many good arguments to be made against illegal immigration and many ways that Steele could trap up its supporters. That's something he doesn't have the capability or integrity to do.