So, it wasn’t Lincoln Chafee (that’s who I thought it was) or Rick Santorum (that’s who Rush thought it was — I thought Rush was nuts to think it was Santorum) but Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele:

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele’s Senate campaign acknowledged yesterday that he was the anonymous candidate quoted by a Washington Post political reporter as saying that being a Republican was like wearing a “scarlet letter” and that he did not want President Bush to campaign for him this fall.

The campaign made the disclosure after a day of speculation in the blogosphere and among political reporters about which Republican Senate candidate had made the disparaging remarks reported by Dana Milbank in the Washington Sketch column in yesterday’s Post.

[…]
State Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman pointed out in a statement that Steele has held fundraisers with the president, Vice President Cheney, Bush adviser Karl Rove and National Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman.
“He has taken millions from Bush and his top aides and even endorsed Bush in a prime-time Republican National Convention speech in August 2004,” Lierman said.
During a luncheon with reporters at which he agreed to be quoted only as a Republican Senate candidate, Steele criticized the Iraq war effort and Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina and said congressional Republicans have “lost our way,” according to Milbank’s report.
Asked whether he would invite Bush to campaign for him, he replied, considering Bush’s low approval rating in Maryland, “to be honest with you, probably not.”
Steele spokesman Doug Heye did not dispute the accuracy of Steele’s quotes in the paper but said Steele spent little time at the luncheon talking about the subject and said the article did not include some comments Steele made praising Bush.
“When he agrees with the Republican administration, he absolutely does so,” Heye said. “When he disagrees, he speaks his mind.”

Well, he does so, but don’t quote him on it (hehe).
And then there’s this:

Other Republicans kept a stiff upper lip [don’t you just love the editorializing in a news report]. Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Campaign, said there would be no drop in national party support for Steele.

They better continue to support him, could you imagine Kweisi Mfume as a Senator? Please Maryland, don’t do this to us. (BTW, you might want to click on the link and vote whether you want universal healthcare.)
(Link via Drudge Report)