Steele on shows after critical GOP week

RNC chairman Michael Steele will get a chance to defend himself from an onslaught of Republican criticism this weekend.

The embattled leader of the national party will debate his DNC counterpart, Tim Kaine, on both “Meet the Press” and “Fox News Sunday.”

{mosads}Steele angered fellow Republicans this week by suggesting that his party would not win back the House in 2010. He also suggested that they might not be ready to lead even if they did take control of Congress.

Fallout from the attempted Christmas Day airline bombing will take center statge on CNN’s “State of the Union” and CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

On CNN, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will appear live from Jerusalem to talk about the attack and its implications for the war on terror. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, will appear on “Face the Nation” to discuss the intelligence failures leading up to the would-be bombing.

Also on Fox News, Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) will discuss steps to increase homeland security. Kyl is a member of the Judiciary subcommittee on border security, and Reed is a key member of the Armed Service Committee.

White House economic adviser Christina Romer will appear on ABC’s “This Week” to tout the administration’s efforts to speed up the economic recovery. Romer wrote a blog post for the White House website Friday calling last month’s losses “a setback” but arguing that the economy is turning the corner.

Finally, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) will follow Kaine and Steele on “Meet the Press.” Schwarzenegger recently withdrew his support for Democratic healthcare reform, arguing the legislation was full of “bribes, deals and loopholes.”