Political junkies were wondering if Michael Steele would run to keep his chair on the Republican National Committee. Salon said no–Pam, at Pam’s House Blend said yes.

The suspense… well, the man himself has spoken.

NYT says it’s a race…

The decision by Mr. Steele was met with anger and astonishment from an array of Republican officials. It was far from clear that his bid for a second term would be successful or that he would emerge as one of the leading contenders on Jan. 14, when the committee elects a chairman to guide the party through an election cycle where the chief goal is defeating President Obama.

The Republican Party, which is often steeped in discipline and order among the ranks of top leaders, has become a cauldron of internal controversy. The announcement by Mr. Steele upended the chairman’s race and ensured that a fight over the party’s direction would play out even as Republicans assume the majority in the House next month.

My prediction is that Mr. Steele will receive a job offer too good to turn down and decide to spend more time with his family.

That is, unless his ego drives him to turn down a golden parachute and take a leap of faith.

Steele occasionally said something that made sense, and then had to spend the rest of the week apologizing to Rush Limbaugh. That could cause ulcers and migraines for some, but he put up with it. He said things that were kind of embarrassing. If part of his job was to reach out to the Black community, he only managed to connect with the part of the community consisting of lobbyists and political movers in the Republican party.

The GOP has calculated that civility is not a short-term winning strategy, so they do nothing to calm down the flamers and name-callers among them. I don’t think we’ll have Michael Steele to kick around much longer.

Political Wire has their list of top ten Michael Steele quotes, including this one, appropriate for the season–

“I’m the gift that keeps on giving.”