Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan issued a statement Saturday distancing the party"s leadership from one of the GOP"s best-known operatives, Chip Saltsman, who distributed a CD containing "Barack the Magic *****" as part of his campaign to be elected chairman of the Republican National Committee next month.
Duncan, who has served the campaigns of five presidents dating back to Richard Nixon, is seeking reelection as the party"s 60th chairman in a hotly contested race that includes Saltsman and several other viable candidates.
Saltsman, 40, was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee"s campaign manager during the Republican presidential primaries.
Saltsman sent Republican National Committee members, who will choose the next chairman, a CD by conservative political satirist Paul Shanklin, "We HATE the USA." It contains the controversial track, which was popular on conservative radio. Shanklin"s Web site promises "absolutely the best parodies in talk radio."
Duncan's statement, in full: "The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party. I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."
RNC Chair Hopeful Makes Boo-Boo
