CNN 2010-07-07

So Ron Paul supports Michael Steele's comments about the Afghan war. Well, there's one, because many Republicans are ripping him apart and wishing the party head would think before he jams his foot in the party's mouth. In case you missed it, here's what Mr. Steele said. It was late Friday at a fundraiser in Connecticut.

Keep in mind, again, for our federal candidates, this is a war of Obama's choosing. This is not, this is not something the United States actively 1 prosecuted 2 or want to engage in.

Steele has been forced to clarify his comments. Yes, there are some new ones that we might have missed. Let's talk about it, with CNN's foreign affairs correspondent Jill Daugherty. So, Jill, not a good sign when you have many powerful Republicans saying that the head of their party doesn't speak for them.

Yeah, in fact, two very important Republicans. And they happen to have been in Afghanistan when they reacted and they condemned 3 what Mr. Steele said. Let's listen.

I think those statements are wildly inaccurate 4. I think that Mr. Steele is going to have to assess as to whether he can still lead the Republican Party as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Dismayed, angry, upset, it was an uninformed, unnecessary, unwise, untimely comment. This is not a President Obama's war. This is America's war.

So they stopped short of saying that Steele should actually step down. But some other Republicans are saying that he should. One of them is Bill Crystal, the influential 5 conservative commentator 6, and also Liz Cheney, another one, both saying he should resign, Kyra.

So what do you think? Will he be forced to resign? Obviously, there's people calling for it now, but what's the reality of it actually happening?

Well, you know, if you, there's another comment that's kind of interesting, and that's Representative Ron Paul who makes the point, he says, look, Steele has raised a lot of money, the Republicans over all are doing well. He's attracting, he argues, younger voters in people to the party. So, and he happens to agree with some of the comments about Afghanistan, so there is another school, but you have to say that a lot of the really, you know, well-known influential people in the party are not happy with this and think enough is enough.

We'll follow the fallout, shall we say. Jill Daugherty, thanks so much. Now Steele is the guy who called himself the gift that keeps on giving for Democrats 7. For the GOP, he's more like the gaffe 8 that keeps on goofing 9. Remember last year when he was dissing the president's health reform plan? I asked him a simple question. Who was his health care provider and was he satisfied?

What kind of health care do you have?

I have, I have private health care through, through the RAC.

He really couldn't answer the question, as you could see, and there's a lot more where that came from.

Day 77 of the Gulf 10 oil disaster. Right now we're awaiting results from this weekend's test run of the A Whale, a massive retrofitted cargo 11 ship converted into the world's largest oil-skimming vessel 12.

If approved, the A Whale, would join, Whale, rather, would join an oil-skimming flotilla of 550 ships that were working yesterday in the Gulf. This morning, new cost figures from BP who now say that they've spent more than 3.1 billion dollars responding to the disaster. The feds have put another 1100 square miles of the Gulf off limits for fishing. And that closes roughly a third of the Gulf of Mexico's federal waters, a precaution taken to ensure the quality of seafood 13.

Did you wake up this morning with your ears ringing after celebrating America's birthday? Check out this spectacular fireworks display at the Washington monument. Last night the nation's capital put on quite a celebration for the Fourth of July