After facing a barage of withering criticism from fellow Republicans -- including a former RNC chairman who told him to stop serving "two masters" -- Michael Steele is firing back:

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Rick Klein report: RNC Chairman Michael Steele is lashing out his critics, with a series of blunt messages for prominent Republicans who have blasted him over his leadership for the Republican Party. “I tell them to get a life. That’s old Washington, that’s old ways, and I don’t represent that, and that kills them,” Steele told ABC News Radio in an interview today. “I’m telling them and I’m looking them in the eye and say I’ve had enough of it. If you don’t want me in the job, fire me. But until then, shut up. Get with the program or get out of the way.”

At issue: today's Washington Times report that leading Republicans are furious at Steele for tending to his own private financial interests while the party's anemic fundraising continues to suffer.

According to the Times report, the RNC has just $8.7 million cash on hand, nearly $5 million less than the DNC and far below the $35 million it had entering the last mid-term election. When Steele took the reigns of the RNC, it had $23 million cash, but it spent heavily on Congressional special elections and Gubernatorial races.

Steele, who has been accepting hefty fees for speaking engagements while earning over $200,000 as RNC Chairman (with unlimited expenses), is busy promoting a new book, drawing criticism for former RNC chairmen like Jim Nicholson.

"Under those circumstances, I do not see how a chairman can do book tours and give speeches for fees that go to him and not the RNC, which needs more money badly," said Mr. Nicholson, who was President George W. Bush's secretary of veterans affairs. "You cannot serve two masters in that job," Mr. Nicholson said. "I think when elected, you agree to give the RNC and its mission 100 percent of your efforts."

Buried in the last line of the Times article is a suggestion that Nicholson may actually have the RNC rulebook on his side:

RNC ethics rules appear to forbid anyone working for the national committee from taking outside income or using a committee position for personal gain.

If that's true, Michael Steele may be in a ton of trouble. Although it's unclear to what extent he will profit from the book, he has made money giving speeches. And now that he's telling his Republican critics to "shut up" or "fire me," it will be entertaining to see which it will be.

Join the discussion in brooklynbadboy's diary, Steele: "Fire me or shut up!".