Michael Steele

WASHINGTON – Filling in as guest host for radio talk-show host Bill Bennett this week, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said Barack Obama was simply never vetted by the press because it fell in love with him.

"The problem that we have with this president is that we don't know him," he said. "He was not vetted, folks. … He was not vetted, because the press fell in love with the black man running for the office. 'Oh gee, wouldn't it be neat to do that? Gee, wouldn't it make all of our liberal guilt just go away? We can continue to ride around in our limousines and feel so lucky to live in an America with a black president.' Okay that's wonderful, great scenario, nice backdrop. But what does he stand for? What does he believe? … So we don't know. We just don't know."

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Steele raised as an example the "missed opportunity" in "dissecting" Rev. Jeremiah Wright's influence on Obama and "the lessons he learned at his knee."

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