Who said this:
To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message — that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.
Our president, George W. Bush, that’s who.
And he made this statement four years and one month ago at his State of the Union speech.
The irony here is a lot of people who didn’t care a lick about sports were wondering why he would involve the government in a “sports” issue.
I disagreed. Steroids are a national health problem. High school aged kids are using illegal performance-enhancing drugs at alarming rates. And it’s not just on the sports fields.
Anyway, President Bush, friends or not with Clemens, can not go back on his word.
Could President Bush pardon Clemens? Sure he could.
But pardoning Clemens would be a national embarrassment.
