Our Congress on the Job

"Would you please raise your right hand- if you can?"


It's reassuring to know that we have such a stellar representative body of government in Washington. I am speaking of our Congress. With all the problems this country faces, from Islamic terror to illegal immigration, what are our elected representatives doing this week? Why, they are getting to the bottom of this steroids mess in baseball, that's what. Henry "Slappy Maxie" Waxman and his committee are trying to find out who stuck a needle into whose butt.

Today's highlights featured the sworn testimony of pitcher Roger Clemens, who denied that he had ever taken steroids or human growth hormone. Seated two chairs away was his ex-trainer and former friend, Brian McNamee, who testified under oath that he had, indeed, injected Clemens with steroids. One of them clearly was lying-committing perjury.

My question is this: Is this what we are paying our taxes for? Doesn't Congress have more important things to do for this country?

First of all, baseball is a sport and a business. It is not a government agency trying to root out corruption. If there is cheating in baseball or use of illegal drugs by athletes, why not let the league take care of it? If drug laws have been broken, then the law enforcement agencies have a role to play. The league can suspend or ban those individuals breaking the rules. (Of course, MLB is cursed by having an incompetent boob, Bud Selig, running the show. Under his regime, this problem has grown and festered for years.)

At any rate, we now find ourselves witnessing another three-ring circus in Congress, complete with posturing politicians and squirming witnesses. Clemens, by most accounts, was not an impressive witness. He denied any knowledge of steroids, beyond hearing about them on TV and reports from Hollywood. (Hollywood?)

Unfortunately, this issue has now crossed the Rubicon. Somebody committed perjury in front of Congress today, and that is always a serious matter that cannot be ignored. Clemens looks like the guy who is skating on thin ice now that his former best friend, Andy Pettite has given testimony against him. If Clemens did, in fact, use steroids, then he should have told the truth once he was sworn in. After all, his career is already over (unless he wants to make yet another comeback at 45). Accept the shame and go on with your life. Now he may be on his way to prison.

Congress has now backed itself into a corner. Now that someone has lied before them under oath, if this thing ends with a whimper and it cannot be established who lied, Congress will really look like a bunch of boobs.

And nobody makes Henry Waxman look like a boob and gets away with it.