This is one brave dude.

Or maybe he's completely bananas.

Either way, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, known on this blog as Soul Brotha No. 1, must be one or both to consider making a run for the RNC's top spot, especially when the GOP's favorite black dude right now is Barack Obama.

But the truth is another run makes sense for him, and here's why:
Steele, a former lieutenant governor of Maryland, became the first African American RNC chair about the same time President Obama was inaugurated. Since then, he's been known more for his political gaffes than his leadership (who can forget how he wanted to give the GOP more "hip-hop" flava).

During his tenure, the Republican party did become more powerful and threatening, not because of anything he did, but because of the emergence of the Tea Party, a rotten economy that turned moderates and Independents against the Democrats and lots and lots of funding from wealthy contributors who support Republicans.

When the Republicans swept the House and gained seats in the Senate last month, they thanked everyone but Steele, and I felt awful for him. This was the guy who was supposed to prove it's cool to be black and Republican. He was supposed to open up the marketplace of ideas for bringing brothers back to majority GOP voting after a 50-year absence. Instead, though, they ignored him. They acted like he didn't exist. Actually, I was kinda scared they'd leave him their shoes to shine.

Even still, on conference call with GOP leaders, Steele asked for Republican support, despite expectations that he might step aside, with the message being, "You were the alternative Negro, but we no longer need your services."

There are several contenders to the GOP throne that Steele must face: Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party who helped businessman Rick Snyder capture the governor's race; Gentry Collins, the former national GOP political director; and Maria Cino who did time in the Bush administration and is a Republican political veteran.

What are Steele's chances against these folks? We don't know yet. Although he was around for the brunt of Republican infighting and is likely to be blamed for the Party's current financial woes, he may well have a few political tricks up his sleeve, most notably that, short of Sarah Palin, he's the most recognizable Republican out there who does not hold a political office.

But also, Republicans might not want to change boats midstream. They've got power they haven't had in a long, long time and are damn sure going to do their best to depose President Obama before his first term is even up. It's not in the GOP's best interest to focus on internal political dynamics when they feel like Obama is going to start tap dancing now that he's "compromised" on the Bush tax cuts, and that is something Steele can use to his advantage.

So Steele might not be the Republican Party's Moses, and really not even its Sojourner Truth, but he does happen to be in the right place at the right time. If the GOP had washed out of the November midterm elections then he wouldn't have a snowball's chance.

Lucky for him, the GOP had Tea Baggers to give them all snow jobs.