GOP heeds the call

By Capt. Fogg

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
I'tll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin.

-- Bob Dylan

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Perhaps imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, perhaps it's coincidence, perhaps it's desperation, perhaps it's deja vu. After five rounds of balloting, Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is now the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Steele is, for those not familiar with him, an African-American, and while some call him a moderate, others find him staunchly conservative. Whatever he may be, he's a first for the GOP and in my opinion, it's about time.

It's time for something completely different... We're going to bring this party to every corner, every boardroom, every neighborhood, every community. And we're going to say to friend and foe alike, "We want you to be a part of us, we want you to work with us. And for those of you who are ready to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over,"

said Steele this afternoon. A bit reminiscent of the 1960s' hit Dylan song, if lacking in conviction.

Does this represent the beginning of a new RNC? Is the old order rapidly aging, or is Steele much more of the same old song? He has been a commentator on Fox News and he lead the crowd in cries of "drill baby drill" at the 2008 convention. Is it enough that his ancestry is African to bring more minorities into the GOP, or will a change in complexion not be enough of a change in everything else?

It remains to be seen, but whatever Michael Steele is, he is not Barack Obama, much less Bob Dylan.