Either With Us, or With Barry Bonds … Depending

Buried in that Knight-Ridder story below about Bush is a quote about Raffy's 'roids that I believe has telling implications on our National Security (no lie!):

"Rafael Palmeiro is a friend. He testified in public and I believe him," Bush said, referring to Palmeiro's denials under oath to a congressional committee on March 17. "He's the kind of person that's going to stand up in front of the klieg lights and say he didn't use steroids, and I believe him. Still do."

As always, George Bush has rigid principles, unless you've palled around with him in Texas. The president has single-handedly (well, with help of Nanny McCain and undeserving Hall of Famer Jim Bunning) turned private-industry substance ingestion into a pressing federal-government issue, using his freaking State of the Union address to tell baseball to "get rid of steroids now" … yet when his own former player gets caught with his pants down, he's a "friend" and we should all believe him.

While in this case I'm happy to see Dubya ease off his high horse (since I don't buy the high horse in the first place), it's not as comforting to watch Mr. Mideast Democracy Promotion do stuff like melt into the arms of his dear friend Crown Prince Abdullah, for starters. Bush personalizes policy, and lavishly rewards loyalty, so those who have successfully kissed his ass, worked for his family, or allowed their hearts to be looked into get a presidential waiver from comportment standards he enthusiastically imposes on others. While touching, after a fashion, it sure doesn't help the ol' moral authority.

Comments

[Matt]

Well Matt, by exposing the Presidents attitude of ethics for others, but not me or my friends, you've pretty much summed up what I've been thinking for a long time...G.W.B. is a limosine liberal.

[Chris]

You're right, Bunning should not be in the Hall of Fame -- you might as well put Billy Pierce or Jerry Koosman or even Jerry Reuss in the Hall if you're going to take Bunning. Even his perfect game shouldn't count, because it was against the moribund '64 Mets.

According to Jim Bouton's "Ball Four," Ted Williams used to work himself into a frenzy during batting practice, shouting things like "here comes Jim Bunning, Jim F***ing Bunning and that little sh** slider of his ... does he seriously think he can get me out with that sh**?" inbetween swings. Maybe we can do something similar when Bunning goes on the Sunday morning shows: "here comes Jim F***ing Bunning promoting that little sh** legislation of his ... does he seriously think he can stop athletes from using steroids with that sh**?"

[Matt Welch]

What's awesome is how Bunning says steroids have hurt the integrity of baseball statistics, when in fact he timed his peak perfectly to coincide with a totally ahistorical, rules-enhanced era favoring pitchers....

[joe]

You gotta respect Welch as a fan - he knows his shit.

[gaius marius]

using his freaking State of the Union address to tell baseball to "get rid of steroids now" ... yet when his own former player gets caught with his pants down, he's a "friend" and we should all believe him.

never was there a clearer sign of the encroaching barbarism of this country than the circuses being cited on the rostrum. you get the feeling that bush would be commodus, if he could hit a curveball.

[Shelby]

Well said, Matt, and a good job of linking together the Bushian strands of "thought."

[Dave W.]

Righteous, Matt!

[RandyAyn]

"Rafael Palmeiro is a friend. He testified in public and I believe him," Bush said, referring to Palmeiro's denials under oath to a congressional committee on March 17. "He's the kind of person that's going to stand up in front of the klieg lights and say he didn't use steroids, and I believe him. Still do."

The next question any journalist worth his salt should have asked is, "If you believe he's telling the truth, then do you believe he should be suspended?"

[Max]

Faith in a friend beats a test in a lab anyday I guess.

[SR]

"The next question any journalist worth his salt should have asked is..."

The follow-up question is a true lost art (seriously).

[Douglas Fletcher]

zzzzzzzz wake me up when the popcorn's ready, would you?

[Douglas Fletcher]

I say let's follow Matt Welch around for a day with a tape recorder and go back and parse every word he utters for something that isn't, let's say, baldly truthful.