Opinion: In today’s pages: Steele, octuplets and tax-cheating Dems

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Michael Steele, the new chairman of the Republican Party, declared in his acceptance speech that it was ‘time for something completely different,’ but the Times editorial board wonders what he meant; other than the fact that he’s a different color (Steele is the first African American ever to lead the GOP), he’s pretty much a cookie-cutter Republican who sticks close to the party line on most issues. That makes him a safe choice for a party that realizes it needs to change but is conflicted about how to do it. ‘Along with a new messenger, the GOP might consider a new message,’ the editorial concludes.

The board also considers, and rejects, AB 103, an attempt by state Assemblyman Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) to make up for the perceived unfairness of Proposition 8 (California’s ban on same-sex marriage) by extending Proposition 13’s property tax benefits to any two people who own a house together. That’s an extension that goes too far. And we urge more guidelines and oversight of the fertility industry as increasingly troubling questions arise over the birth of octuplets in Bellflower to a divorced mother who already had six young children. ‘She and her family will live with the consequences, happy or not. That’s their business. Curbing the potential for medical abuse, though, is a matter of public concern,’ the editorial states.

Over on the Op-Ed page, former Times religion reporter William Lobdell praises U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O’Brien’s attempt to hold Cardinal Roger Mahony accountable for his role in the priest sex abuse scandal. The federal grand jury probe of Mahony raises hopes, Lobdell says, that ‘there will finally be justice.’ Author Matt Bai, meanwhile, offers his take on the text messages President Obama is sending from his famous Blackberry (Sample message to Hillary Clinton: ‘I’m sprawled out on the Oval Office rug, just luxuriating. Thought u’d like to know. LOL.’)

Speculation over the health of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il prompts Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Paul B. Stares to warn that the U.S. government should have a contingency plan in place in case of Kim’s sudden demise. And columnist Jonah Goldberg decries Democrats’ hypocrisy in moralizing about the righteousness of paying taxes while staying quiet about tax-cheating members of their party such as Timothy F. Geithner and Tom Daschle.

* Photo of President Obama and his Blackberry by Getty Images