On Monday night, Michael Steele made what for him has become an increasingly rare public appearance. Neither political nor news media focused, the RNC Chairman attended the premiere of the new documentary film "Tyson" -- about the infamously foul-mouthed, ear-biting boxer -- at the Union Square Loews in New York City.
Steele's appearance, reported by the New York Post's Page Six and confirmed by the RNC, would seem like a relatively peculiar choice of venue for the high-profiled politico. Except that his relationship with Tyson is fairly deep. Steele's younger sister, Monica, was the boxer's second wife and Tyson took to the role of campaign surrogate during Steele's run for Maryland's Senate seat in 2006.
"I would do anything to help Michael," Tyson said at the time. "I would box an exhibition for him. I would even fight again to help Mike. I would do anything."
The day after the movie premiere, Steele was slated to give a morning speech before the Religious Action Committee's national convention, a gathering of reform Jews from across the nation. But the RNC Chair had abruptly canceled that appearance by Monday. An official at the RNC said that the cancellation was not due to another event.
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