Democrats are trying to portray Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele in his campaign for U.S. Senate as a close ally of President Bush, part of “the Bush-Steele machine,” as Rep. Ben Cardin, D-3rd, put it.

Democratic Party operatives crank out anti-Steele press releases with headlines such as “Steele?s Bush Republican Cronies Block Gas Gouging Investigation” and “Steele?s Right Wing Weekend,” highlighting a Nashville, Tenn., fundraising event with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, of Tennessee, and Republican Conference Chairman Rick Santorum, of Pennsylvania.

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