Eric Kleefeld January 19, 2011, 10:13 AM

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele sat down for an interview with Tim Mak of FrumForum, to defend his record after he was defeated for re-election last week. And for Steele, one sore point seems to be the victory of the new RNC Chairman Reince Priebus — a former seeming ally of his, who then turned on him.

Mak reports:

“I know exactly how Caesar felt,” Steele says, without a hint of irony. “It is what it is.” He claims that Priebus had been planning to defect for six, seven, eight months before announcing a bid for the chairmanship. Steele was blindsided. “I trust my friends. Well, I guess the adage is right. In Washington, you should get a dog…We put a lot of resources in Wisconsin over the last two years…that’s what you do for [the] team.”

Steele is referring to the assassination of Julius Caeasr, who was stabbed by group of Roman senators that included his great friend and ally Brutus. According to legend, Caesar said to Brutus, “Et Tu, Brute?” — “And you, Brutus?”

In some good news for bloggers everywhere, Steele said he wants to stay in politics, declaring that “I’m not a quitter. I believe in the fight”:

“I don’t want to belong in a party that stays in its comfort zone,” he continues. “The comfort zone is [saying] we can only play here, with this type of person. The comfort zone is standing at the door with a checklist to see who is and is not a good Republican or a good conservative.”

He’s hopes to keep moving, and to continue playing a role in Republican politics. “Doin’ some TV here and there…[as well] there’s a presidential cycle coming up. I plan to play in that a little bit. Maybe a lot.”

Michael Steele, RNC, Reince Priebus