Waxman Regrets Hearing Was Held

[Hissyspit]

Source: New York Times

Waxman Regrets Hearing Was Held

By DUFF WILSON and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
Published: February 15, 2008
WASHINGTON — A day after a dramatic, nationally televised hearing that pitted Roger Clemens against his former personal trainer and Democrats against Republicans, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said Thursday that he regretted holding the hearing in the first place.

The chairman, Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, said the four-hour hearing unnecessarily embarrassed Clemens, who he thought did not tell the truth, as well as the trainer, Brian McNamee, who he thought was unfairly attacked by committee Republicans.

“I think Clemens and McNamee both came out quite sullied, and I didn’t think it was a hearing that needed to be held in order to get the facts out about the Mitchell report,” Waxman said. “I’m sorry we had the hearing. I regret that we had the hearing. And the only reason we had the hearing was because Roger Clemens and his lawyers insisted on it.”

The decision to hold the hearing had been made in early January, as Clemens was publicly challenging the veracity of the Mitchell report. But Waxman said he and Tom Davis of Virginia, the ranking Republican and former chairman of the committee, decided by last Friday that they did not need to conduct the hearing as scheduled because depositions taken last week from Clemens, McNamee, Andy Pettitte and others were thorough, as was the committee staff’s own investigation, and that a hearing would not provide a great deal more insight.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/sports/baseball/15clemens.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

[dkf]

1. It was a waste of time.

I can't believe how much airtime they spent on this...when they could have been talking about Obama/Clinton!

[MrSlayer]

2. And well he should.

The whole thing is stupid. With all the crimes going on in this administration they waste time on such unimportant nonsense such as baseball and football. I enjoy sports but I really don't care if anyone does steroids.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. I'd throw in a bunch of swear words, with your comment.

as well as a few bloodys and bullshit, and how dare theys? It's a stupid little boys' game.

[tbyg52]

19. This was not what Congress should have been doing, but

there is a reason to care about steroids, and it's not the millionaire athletes who take them. It's the way it trickles down to the kids. If you can't compete without them, you're quite likely going to use them.

[calimary]

28. Waxman's my Congressman. It disappointed the hell out of me!

I called both his Washington office and his L.A. office and complained. The young male staffer who took my call here in L.A. couldn't get off the phone fast enough.

We've got a criminal "president" who should be IMPEACHED for repeatedly violating the Constitution, lying about war, okaying torture and illegal domestic spying, and all you've got for us is nearly an entire day of nauseatingly stupid hearings involving an insolent, over-pampered, and corner-cutting latter-day Michelin Tire Man.

I told 'em in each office that it was a waste of Waxman's time and MY tax money.

He SHOULD regret holding this stupid PR circle-jerk. He's got FAR better and more critical things to do!

[bleever]

3. Recommended for perspective

on why the time was spent on this.

It was a train wreck, it was ugly, we paid for it, and it supplanted more important business.

[frog92969]

4. Look on the bright side,

At least it was time NOT spent giving more of our rights away.

[countmyvote4real]

5. Are there not bigger fish to fry for worse consequences? n/t

[nikto]

6. Wouldn't you love to hear...

...SIBEL EDMONDS testify for as long as
"The Clemens Show" went on before that committee?

[cascadiance]

23. YESSSS!!!!

[keopeli]

7. As I understand it, the Republics started this witch-hunt with Bonds and Clemens demanded equal...

treatment. Am I wrong about that? Yet people are embarrassed that Congress is respecting his rights.

Clemens chose this embarrassment for himself and his friends. He knew the consequences.

With that kind of money, there is a whole PR campaign out there to make him look like the victim.

Only one person took steroids here and that started this nasty problem. He knew it was wrong. We all know it's wrong in the context of championship sports.

Sports is BIG BUSINESS!!!! Think Murdoch and ESPN. There's a reason this is happening and it can be considered nothing less than an abuse of our Congress.

It's not fair to blame those who are following the rules. It's only fair to blame the culprit.

This "charade" is about money and the system is setup for rich lawyers to abuse the system.

I don't yet know who I am going to vote for, but one thing is for sure...things have GOT to change.

And while I'm on a roll here, neither gender nor race is going to influence my choice whatsoever. I find it depressing that this even has to be said out loud, yet the media wants us to believe it matters. IT DOESN'T.

I want change - total, irrevocable change. And I'll fight to get it if a real leader called me to do so. I'm SICK TO DEATH of things like SPORTS being considered important. We (Seattle) just spent a gazillion dollars on TWO stadiums SIDE-BY-SIDE. They tore down a perfectly good building to do it. And the voters rejected the idea FIVE TIMES!!! FIVE TIMES!!!

No, Congress shouldn't be debating this, and the fault is both Clemens and the Republics who started this nonsense.

OK - off my stump.

Peace

[acmavm]

8. Is this an indication of what happens when our dipshit dem reps do decide

to hold hearings?

[bluestateguy]

9. This is an issue that MLB has to handle themselves

I don't recall Congress holding hearings after the Black Sox Scandal in 1919.

[AngryOldDem]

10. I've always wondered why Congress was so interested in this.

It's not like it can be construed as a commerce issue, as the free-agency controversy was a few years back.

This is an internal issue for Bud Selig and MLB to resolve. Congress has MUCH bigger fish to fry.

[lanlady]

11. Amen to that. Complete waste of time.

Congress has a history of involving itself in major league sports, and for no good reason.

[Sam Ervin jret]

12. The Congress: regrets you've had a few, but then again so many........

[Orsino]

13. The last thing we want is a hearing that might "sully" somebody...

...especially someone as important as a baseball player. :eyes:

Can Waxman now return to the important work of failing to investigate the White House?

[mikeytherat]

14. Especially if you feel that "sullied" person is lying under oath to Congress.

I mean, I'd hate to sully the reputation of someone I thought was committing perjury - why, that would be unconscionable.

:crazy:

mikey_the_rat

[tanyev]

15. So hold some impeachment hearings!

Now's a good time to hold some hearings you can be proud of, Henry. :bounce:

[jasmine621]

17. Clemens is a liar. If Marion Jones went to jail, so should these folks. nt

[Deny and Shred]

18. Didn't McCain have stuff to say about this a few years ago.

I recall a few Congresspeople upset by a national pastime tainted by allegations of steroids. Bud Selig basically said "So What," so Congress got involved. It started with McGwire, Palmiero, and Sosa (claiming no Speak-a-dee English.)Baseball enjoys an anti-trust exemption. I may be Raygun-like hazy, but wasn't it McCain talking about revoking the exemption if MLB didn't clean it up.
I know JMcC went after mixed martial arts - UFC and the like.
Waxman, I think, was trying to say I had to preside over it, but it wasn't my idea.
This is just another way to divert the masses from the issues this week that form a Constitutional crisis.

PS. I believe Pettite. No incentive to lie, an incentive to protect his pal, yet still implicates Clemens.

[bpj62]

20. Sosa

Although I agree with most of what you are saying I take exception to you Sosa comment. No where in the Mitchell report is Sosa ever mentioned as having used either steroids or HGH. Some people can build muscle naturally and maybe he is one of those people. By the way Clemens is a big time republican.

[electropop]

21. I thought the reason for the hearing was to distract from FISA and Contempt votes?

They ran out of dead blondes, so they had to trot out something to hide these things.

[OwnedByFerrets]

22. While I appreciate Waxman saying this.....

when I read this "I think Clemens and McNamee both came out quite sullied, and I didn’t think it was a hearing that needed to be held in order to get the facts out about the Mitchell report,” Waxman said. “I’m sorry we had the hearing. I regret that we had the hearing. And the only reason we had the hearing was because Roger Clemens and his lawyers insisted on it.”, what came to mind is WHY IS HIS "INSISTANCE" LISTENED TO, BUT NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S INSISTANCE THAT IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS BE HELD. One would think one were more important than the other.

[Javaman]

24. Too late waxy. the only regret that is allowed is the american public

who pays your salary for that bullshit. now shut up and get back to the job of playing like you are all in a fuss over morons* breaking of the laws.

that plays better to the mouth breathers that don't know better.

:banghead:

[yurbud]

25. WAXMAN allowed this waste of time? I could think of a thousand other things more important

anthrax

oil companies lobbying for the Iraq War and the hydrocarbon law

intel manipulation

who Bushies are actually wiretapping

the wholesale roundup of Muslim-Americans after 9/11

Enron

Sibel Edmonds accusations

ignored peace overtures from Iraq & Iran

whether the IMF & World Bank actually serve our security and economic interests or only those of banks and corporations.

and so on.

[bluerum]

26. distraction and misdirection - waste of time and tax $$$'s

[barb162]

29. Ding, ding, ding!

It was just sheer silliness. I bet those congress people got a lot of nasty letters.

[pleah]

27. A waste of time and a disgrace!