Michael Steele Cancels Appearance At Aspen Ideas Festival

Michael Steele Cancels Appearance At Aspen Ideas Festival After Afghanistan Flap

In the wake of mounting turmoil over recent comments about the war in Afghanistan, GOP National Chairman Michael Steele has canceled a scheduled appearance at the annual Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado.

The Aspen Institute says Steele called off his visit on Tuesday. He had been scheduled to appear at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Wednesday for a one-on-one conversation with former Republican congressman Mickey Edwards.

Steele is under fire after calling Afghanistan a "war of Obama's choosing" and some Republicans have called for him to step down as chairman.

Steele's statement, made at a Connecticut fundraiser in June, drew sharp rebuke from Republicans John McCain, who called the Chairman's characterization of the war "wildly inaccurate," and Lindsay Graham, who called the comments "uninformed, unnecessary, unwise," among others.

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