• Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

    Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele walks off stage after announcing that he would drop his re-election bid, Jan. 14, 2011, during the Republican National Committee Winter Meeting in Oxon Hill, Md.

    Michael Steele quits his bid for reelection to chairman of the RNC

    From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Mark Murray
    Michael Steele's rocky tenure as chairman of the Republican National Committee has officially ended.

    Steele dropped his bid for reelection only after four rounds of votes here at National Harbor that saw him lose votes in each subsequent round. He endorsed former Bush administration official Maria Cino. If all votes hold, and Steele's 28 combine with Cino's 29, that would put Cino in second place with 57 votes behind Wisconsin Chairman Reince Priebus, who at last tally had 58.

    "How y'all doin,'" Steele said in signature Steele, as he took to the podium before fifth-round voting to announce his exit. "Two years, we had a good time. This is tough because it is what it is."

    He added, "I step aside for others to lead. ... Despite the noise, despite the difficulties, we won."

    He continued, "I'm a fighter, and I'm a little bit obstinate, but I am because I believe in the fight."

    He went on to tout the committee's accomplishments, as he saw them -- raising $192 million -- "no asterisk"; winning 63 House seats -- "We won in places we haven't in a long time. ... It wasn't because of anything I did. ... It's what you did."

    "I will step aside because I think the party is ready for something different," he said. "And now I exit, stage right."

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  • Thinner Cheney joins former officials at ground breaking of Bush's presidential center

    Mike Stone / Reuters

    Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice introduces former Vice President Dick Cheney at the ground breaking ceremony for the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, Nov. 16, 2010.

    By Robert Hood

    I was taken aback this afternoon when I saw pictures of former Vice President Dick Cheney. He is noticeably thinner, and he walked with a cane. My mental image of Cheney has always been one of a strong, old-guard, cold warrior. Seeing him today was another reminder of how time slips away.

    Former Vice President Dick Cheney made a rare public appearance at the groundbreaking for the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Texas on Tuesday. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

  • LM Otero / AP

    Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks to the first general session of the Republican Party of Texas convention in Dallas on Friday, June 11, 2010.

    Political star of Texas

    Dallas Morning News: Rick Perry accepts nomination at the Texas Republican convention.

    "Electing my opponent will accelerate the Washington takeover of our state," Perry said, as delegates at the state Republican convention roared with approval at the Dallas Convention Center. "We're engaged in a struggle for the very heart of the state."

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