RNC Chair Michael Steele: 'Ain't Going Anywhere'

"I ain't going anywhere."

With that -- and a round of applause -- Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele returned to the spotlight Thursday almost a week after his latest misstep, suggesting that the war in Afghanistan might not be winnable, brought calls for him to step down.

At the grand opening of the Colorado's Victory office in suburban Denver, Steele was contrite at times, but displayed a determination to stick with his job. And he had plenty of support among the 100-plus activists gathered at the state party phone bank in Greenwood Village.

Steele answered only one question from reporters following a brief speech aimed at firing up volunteers and party activists.

On July 2, Steele said Afghanistan "was a war of Obama's choosing. This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in." Later that day, after prominent conservatives called for his resignation, Steele issued a statement clarifying his remarks and supporting the war. An RNC official distributed those remarks at Thursday's event, along with past statements from Steele supporting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Steele reiterated his support for the war Thursday.

"In terms of Afghanistan and all of that, let me be very, very clear," Steele said. "I'm foursquare and 1,000 percent with our troops on the ground. I think it's important to recognize that this war on terrorism was brought to our shore and we will fight it and we will win it."

After a reporter asked about the calls for his resignation, several supporters tossed Steele some softballs.

"You are the man in the arena, as Theodore Roosevelt used to say," one man said.

"The arena closes in on you sometimes," Steele wryly remarked.

"You should have said Obama is failing as commander in chief," a man who identified himself as a Korean War veteran told Steele.

"Oh yeah, that would have gone over," Steele replied.

Another man suggested criticism was coming from those who want to see the GOP lose in November.

"I've learned politics through some pretty hard knocks," Steele said. "But this fight has always been worth it to me. ... Every time something happens, people are, 'Oh he should step down, he should step down.' Well, that's not going to happen."

But most of the time, Steele focused on the November 2010 general elections. He said the party is opening Victory offices to help generate enthusiasm and prepare to get out the vote in 44 states with high-profile races Republicans believe they can win.

In Colorado, two GOP candidates -- Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton -- are vying in an Aug. 10 primary to face the winner on the Democratic side, where incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, who was appointed in 2009, is being challenged by former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. The governor's race is also in play after incumbent Democrat Bill Ritter announced earlier this year that he'll step down.

Before Steele arrived, volunteers called potential voters, asking about their views on the Obama administration, deficit spending and health care. Several of the activists at GOP headquarters wore Buck T-shirts, with the candidate planning a noon rally in downtown Denver with conservative Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina.

And after initially telling the crowd that he wasn't going anywhere, Steele emphasized the work to be done.

"There's too much work to do," Steele said. "There are real differences between the way the president and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid look at America, look at its future, look at its potential."