Michael Steele Has Been 'a Disaster' for GOP, Says Strategist Ed Rollins

Republican strategist Ed Rollins on Sunday called RNC Chairman Michael Steele's stewardship of the party "a disaster," saying he has "failed miserably to do the things you're supposed to do: raise money, basically go out and articulate a message."

Rollins, who served as national campaign director for Ronald Reagan's 1984 bid and as a former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, made his comments Sunday on "Face the Nation." With the midterm elections bearing down, Rollins said, "what [Steele] says or does in the next 11 weeks is not going to matter" on Election Day, because other party leaders have "picked up the mantle and are raising the resources that we need."

Program host Bob Schieffer noted that Steele was unwilling to come on the show because "he's so immersed in controversy that he's . . . kind of in a bunker these days."

The Republican National Committee has seen more than its share of controversy under Steele, including failing to report more than $7 million in debt to federal election officials this year, and questions about its fundraising practices, most embarrassingly an expense report for credit card charges from a strip club in West Hollywood last February.