Bush Conveniently Forgets His Own Role in the Baseball "Steroids Era"

Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress at 5:09 PM on December 14, 2007.

Ironically, Bush wants to put "behind us" a steroid culture that his negligent management helped foster.

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Bush Conveniently Forgets His Own Role in Baseball's Steroids Era

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Earlier this week, former senator George Mitchell released a damning report on steroids in baseball, noting that "for more than a decade, there has been widespread anabolic steroid use."

President Bush -- an avid baseball fan who sometimes watches games in the Oval Office -- addressed the report today, saying he is "troubled" by the steroid allegations. Bush "hopes that this report marks the beginning of the end of steroid abuse," said Press Secretary Dana Perino. Bush added:

I think it's best that all of us not jump to any conclusions on individual players named, but we can jump to this conclusion: that steroids have sullied the game. ... And my hope is that this report is a part of putting the steroid era of baseball behind us.

Watch the video to your right.

"[P]ayers and the owners must take the Mitchell report seriously," Bush ordered today. But from 1988 to 1994, when Bush was managing general partner of the Texas Rangers, he turned a blind eye to steroid abuse.

Several former Rangers -- Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmiero, and Jose Canseco -- were all alleged to have used, or have admitted to using, steroids while playing for Bush. Gonzales, Palmiero, and Canseco were identified in Mitchell's report.

Jose Canseco authored a book about steroids in baseball during the early 1990s and argued that Bush must have known about the drug use. In July, sports columnist Skip Bayless -- previously a sports journalist in Dallas -- said Bush "looked the other way" when working for the Rangers:

I knew the President when he was owner of the Rangers. And I heard all the whispers around the locker room and the clubhouse. ... I think he looked the other way.

Ironically, Bush wants to put "behind us" a steroid culture that his negligent management helped foster.

Tagged as: bush, sports, baseball, steroids

Satyam Khanna is a Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.

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Bush fostered a culture of substance abuse in his family and in his team [Report this comment] Posted by: Rune on Dec 14, 2007 3:30 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] It is no more a coincidence that torture has become a much more prominent feature of American intervention abroad on Bush's watch than it is that his daughters turned out to be boozing party girls or his baseball team sunk into steroid abuse on his watch. Despite his rhetoric to the contrary, the man does not value human life any more than he respects the laws meant to protect it. everywhere he goes, he leaves behind a trail of damaged health, both mental and physical. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: Bush fostered a culture of substance abuse in his family and in his team Posted by: donl51 » RE: Bush fostered a culture of substance abuse in his family and in his team Posted by: AMERICAN VETERAN What did you expect, all Repugwicans think the same way. [Report this comment] Posted by: james2021 on Dec 17, 2007 6:27 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] The repugwicans are just use people, to get what they want. One more example of the sorry excuse Dumbya is for a human being. Didnt his parents teach him any morals, or is it just a family genetic problem??? [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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