Steele seeks 'smart leadership' from GOP

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Republican Chairman Michael Steele said Sunday the party will stand on principle but must use "smart leadership" in the next Congress.

The national committee chairman, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," said, "We're not going to compromise on creating more debt. We're not going to compromise on raising the debt ceiling. We're not going to compromise on increasing the burdens on the backs of small-business owners and families."

On the other hand, he conceded, "We do need to be very careful here. We do need to be very smart about the kind of leadership we bring to the table come January with a Republican majority in the House and hopefully the Senate."

"You can't -- I agree you cannot just go and do the same old same old because, if you do ... you're going to wind up seeing a lot of people take that ... newly found support that they have for the party and place it elsewhere."

Asked by host Candy Crowley if he would seek another term as RNC chairman, Steele said, "We're going to evaluate that once we get past this Tuesday."