Bipartisan Baseball Blather

Congressman John Yarmuth and his Democratic colleagues on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have wasted a lot of taxpayer money investigating the "he said, he said" dispute between Roger Clemens and his alleged steroids and human growth hormone injector, Brian McNamee. The grandstanding (and it wasn't in a ballpark) has thus far produced an "18-page memo compiled by majority staff and released by chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, on Feb. 27," according to the Associated Press.

Now the AP reports that Republican committee members have joined in the tree killing, with a "109-page report" that purportedly "'seeks to dispel conclusions that may have resulted from an incomplete consideration of the full record' and contains details Rep. Tom Davis believes could challenge the credibility of McNamee."

Who cares? The House committee shouldn't have conducted the hearings in the first place. Both Clemens and McNamee ought to be able to raise the defense of "irrelevant to the work of Congress" if either of them is ever prosecuted for alleged misstatements in their testimony.

Congressman Davis has opted not to run for reelection this year. Too bad Yarmuth will not do the same. Anne Northup should promise that, once she defeats Yarmuth, she will not participate in similar silly games that masquerade as congressional work.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Wheaties Fail To Enhance Yarmuth's House Committee Performance

The votes are in on U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth's dumbest vote to date, as discussed below. But here's another trivia question: What is Yarmuth's dumbest question ever asked in a House committee hearing?

One possible winner came today, when the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on which Yarmuth serves, held a hearing on illegal steroid use in Major League Baseball. (Query what illegal steroid use in Major League Baseball has to do with "Oversight and Government Reform", but we will let it slide because even Congressmen sometimes need a break from doing their real jobs.)

But if Yarmuth is going to talk baseball, at least he could say something intelligent about the game. Instead, he asked baseball commissioner Bud Selig and players' union president Don Fehr these penetrating questions:

YARMUTH: . . . So my question is do we really know enough to say that taking steroids or HGH improves a player's competitive position any more than chewing tobacco does, any more than chewing on sunflower seeds does, or anything else they might put in their body to relax them or to stimulate them?

I mean, I ate enough boxes of Wheaties as a kid. I know Wheaties don't do it. But do we have enough evidence to really make these type of determinations?

FEHR: I'm sorry, the question was directed to you.

SELIG: My answer to that would be yes. I think there is enough evidence that using performance-enhancing drugs gives a player an advantage.
. . . .

YARMUTH: Mr. Fehr, do you have the same conclusion?

FEHR: Yes. . . .

Well, duh! Yes, Congressman Yarmuth, steroids are performance-enhancing drugs, in case you didn't know that. And there you have it: John Yarmuth's major contribution to the Congressional record today.