ABC alleges Steele "played the race card"...

The embattled Steele, in the view of many, played the race card today when asked on "Good Morning America" if he is allowed fewer errors because he is African American.

"The honest answer is, 'yes,'" he said. "Barack Obama has a slimmer margin. A lot of folks do. It's a different role for me to play and others to play and that's just the reality of it. But you take that as part of the nature of it."

"My view on politics is much more grassroots-oriented, it's not old-boy-network oriented, so I tend to, you know, come at it a little bit stronger, a little bit more street-wise, if you will. That's rubbed some feathers the wrong way," Steele told "Good Morning America's" George Stephanopoulos.

Steele believes the press held Obama to higher standards than an ordinary candidate because he's "African American"? What planet is he living on? The press lobbed nothing but mushy softballs at Obama, and gave many of his shadier aspects — associations with Wright, Ayers & Chicago politics in general, his amazing lack of experience, his extreme positions in the Senate and subsequent dishonesty thereupon — a complete pass.

Even Hillary (and her media cheerleaders) finally realized what it feels like to have the media's kid-glove treatment removed.

Steele is under tight scrutiny not because he's black, but because' he's Republican. Contrast the sex angle here, for example, with the ACORN scandal — which involved not merely sex, but a desire to use government funds to back child sexual slavery. The media was incredibly reluctant to report said charges, and usually spun them as far as plausible (or beyond) in ACORN's favor. Also compare with the non-furor over Nancy Pelosi's expensive air travel (on the taxpayer's dime, to boot).

Steele's belief that the media is biased against him because he's black is somewhat depressing and surreal — as if he's arguing they would have given Rick Santorum a pass had he been caught in the same position. If you believe that, I have an RNC chairmanship for you.