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Congress Doesn't Need Steroids, Just Cameras

As predicted by this blog, Roger Clemens dazzled the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform with his icy mastery of logic and language that made interviewing him such a unique professional experience. But then, compared to a roomful of congresspeople, even a stone-crazy rockhead like Rocket is going to look good.

What is worse about today's dark comedy on the collapse of our republic? That Congress, which quails in terror at standing up for the Constitution all its member swore to defend, thought what was injected into some ballplayer's ass was the most vital topic of the day, or that Congress found the question of what was injected into some ballplayer's ass to be a PARTISAN ISSUE?

Democrats gave Clemens a hard time. Republicans gave his accuser Brian McNamee, a hard time. No squishy moderation allowed. Do performance-enhancing drugs really poll that way? And who does the polling?

In truth, the explanation is very simple. In Congress, look for petty personal reasons, and the answer appears. George Mitchell, the author of the report to baseball that first accused Clemens of HGH and steroid use, is a former Democratic leader in the Senate. Democrats went after Clemens because if Clemens is vindicated, their man looks like a prize chump. Republicans defended Rog because they're still mad about parliamentary shit Mitchell pulled 20 years ago. Such childish behavior is appropriate to the Clemens hearing, a childish matter. Too bad the same motives prevail in Congressional debates on war and peace.

Clemens, at bottom, is just another dumb jock. His inquisitors are allegedly serious people. Any citizen who watched the hearing and didn't entertain serious thoughts of a violent revolution wasn't paying attention.

Our elected representatives should go home each night and thank God for the boundless mercy, or rather, boundless apathy, of the American people. They do not merit the dignity of one's contempt.

posted by Michael Gee @ 8:43 PM