Washington (CNN) -- The chairman of the Republican Party and a leading GOP senator called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to give up his post Sunday, following the publication of remarks he made about President Obama's race in 2008. A new book quotes Reid, D-Nevada, as saying privately in 2008 that Obama could be successful as a black candidate in part because of his "light-skinned" appearance and speaking patterns "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." The remarks were "embarrassing and racially insensitive," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, head of the GOP's Senate campaign arm, in a statement to CNN.
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NEW: Congressional Black Caucus rejects calls for Reid to step down
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Michael Steele calls for Reid to step down, accuses Dems of "double standard"
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GOP chair says Senate majority leader's language "harkens back to the 1950s and '60s"
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New book quotes Reid discussing "light-skinned" Obama's lack of "Negro dialect"
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Democrats rejected the calls for Reid's dismissal, and @placeholder's office made clear he has no plans to step down.
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The authors write that "Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama's race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the @placeholder nomination."
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And the senate leader called @placeholder on Saturday afternoon to apologize for the remarks.