Ryan J. Reilly January 20, 2011, 9:30 AM

Recently ousted Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele — who oversaw the organization’s expenditures at bondage-themed restaurants, its plunge into $22 million in debt and a bare bones fundraising effort — claimed Wednesday his RNC was “a very lean machine.”

Steele said his quick dethroning as RNC chair earlier this month was because of a “lot of noise and grappling” over his “different approach and a different style” (including, he said, being “much more engaged on the streets of America”) and not over any substantive issues.

So after throwing long-time Steele trackers off with a gaffe-less appearance on Hardball on Monday night, one thing is clear: the Michael Steele we know and love is back.

Steele said Karl Rove “doesn’t know what he was talking about” when he said Steele’s RNC had bloated entourages, sweetheart deals, and lack of financial oversight.

“The fact is there were no entourages or bloated budgets,” Steele said. “We ran a very lean machine. We took every dollar that came into the building and put it back on the streets.”

He also said he didn’t know whether he was treated differently because he is African-American, but said that “people of in the party, particularly the establishment, are breathing a sigh of relief” now that he’s gone.

So does Steele feel betrayed since the new RNC Chairman Reince Priebus is his former deputy (you know, like Caeser did)? Nah, says Steele, just disappointed.

“The only thing I’ve wanted to do is to do the job and that’s all I’ve ever asked to do,” Steele said.

He also told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he’d love to appear on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, which skewered him for what they thought would be the final time earlier this week.

“I’d love to go on his show. Folks were a little nervous about my going on his show,” Steele said. ” I mean, look, I love all that stuff. It was fun to watch and it’s humorous because, guess what? People are talking about the party, and, you know, it’s satire and comedy, but there’s also the fact that people understood that there was a different sheriff in town and different way to do things.”

So what’s next for Michael Steele? Could a run for political office in Maryland be in his future? He’s leaving the option open.

“We’ll see what’s out for us down the road,” Steele said.

CNN, Jon Stewart, Karl Rove, Michael Steele, RNC, Reince Priebus