Former MD Lt. Gov. Michael Steele told the national press today during his first availability as Republican National Committee chairman that his election to the post is "bold step" in the evolution of the GOP -- and he noted that he looks forward to sparring with Pres. Obama.

"I think it's a remarkable moment, some say it's historic, but it's just one more bold step that the party of Lincoln has taken since its founding," said Steele, the party's first black chairman.

Steele's selection followed six rounds of balloting over a period of six hours, a very public show of the party's labored soul searching. His win signals a desire within the GOP establishment to recast the party's image, which was damaged during eight years of the Bush administration as public opinion of the president plunged to record lows.

It was also an answer, several RNC members said privately, to the election of Pres. Obama, the nation's first black president. Diversity, others cautioned, was not the driving issue but an element of Steele's selection.

"I think it was important, but I don't think it was a single deciding factor," said Robin Smith, TN GOP chairwoman and a backer of SC GOP chairman Katon Dawson, today's runner up.

Steele, a former head of the MD GOP, sought to distance himself from statements he made during a failed 2006 U.S. Senate bid criticizing his party and President Bush. Running in the left-leaning state, Steele said at the time that being a Republican was like donning a Scarlet 'R'.

"That was then, and this is now," Steele said. "And this is a new moment for our party. And we can take that Scarlet badge off and wear a very proud 'R' on our chest."

Steele was not reluctant, meanwhile, to make the connection between his election to lead the Republican Party and the new Democratic president.

"It's going to be an honor to spar with him," he said of Obama.

When asked his plan for rebuilding the party, Steele, who served one term as MD's lt. gov., said he'll rely on the states to tell him what they need.

"I said to the members of the committee during this process is that my expectation is that they are going to come to me with ... a plan,' he said.

Steele bypassed an opportunity to criticize Rush Limbaugh for saying on the air recently that he hopes Obama fails, saying that Limbaugh, the conservative radio host, "has a First Amendment right to speak."

"Rush Limbaugh is a conservative voice in this party that clearly people must pay attention to," Steele said in response to a reporter's question. "Rush will say what he has to say. We will do what we have to do."

Not everyone appeared pleased with the outcome of voting. Some argued that they wanted someone with more grassroots organizing experience. The desire to choose one of their own members was another variable for many voting today.

"I wanted leadership from within the committee," said Donna Lou Gosney, a WV committeewoman who backed incumbent chairman Mike Duncan.

VA Gov. Tim Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, issued a statement wishing Steele well:

"Together, we have the honor of leading our respective Parties during one of the most important periods in our country's history. I look forward to working with Chairman Steele as we set out to put partisanship and the politics of the past aside to get our economy working again. The American people have sent a clear message that the challenges we face are too great for us to get bogged down by outmoded ideological divides. They have challenged us to work together to find practical solutions that will put this country back on the right track. President Obama and the Democratic Party are answering that challenge, and I hope Chairman Steele will join us."

Steele said its time for the GOP to "get back in the game" and he called on "the next generation of Republican leaders across the country" to get involved. The new chairman, too, faces very real challenges though in raising money for key 2009 and 2010 races and in building an Internet operation to rival the one created by Obama last year.

"Let's get ready," Steele said, "it's going to be a new day."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)