Working for the Man Every Night and Day Part 2: Steele remains a 'loyal soldier'

Lt. Governor Made Campaign Promises to Oppose the Death Penalty and to do something about Racial Bias in Sentencing. He has done Nothing.

Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele wants anyone wondering to know that he would carry "buckets of sand, water and dirt" for his boss, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Mr. Steele said he and Mr. Ehrlich remain in perfect tandem as they lead Maryland to a brighter future. And oh yes, the governor is the only man he answers to on issues such as a promised death penalty task force - a pledge the news media has such a way of keeping alive. When Mr. Ehrlich was sworn in as Maryland's top elected official last year, he promised an equal partnership with Mr. Steele. The first African American elected to statewide office, he attracted voters who shared his opposition to the death penalty and abortion. When he lifted a moratorium on the death penalty after taking office, Mr. Ehrlich said Mr. Steele would head a task force to investigate allegations of racial bias in sentencing. Today, Mr. Steele says that plan is still alive, adding with a degree of irritation that he isn't working on a schedule set by the media or by either side on the issue. He's just not giving up any details. "I am not ready to talk about it," Mr. Steele said during an interview last week in his State House office. [more]