Waxman regrets holding hearings

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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/sports/baseball/15clemens.html

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.”

[hughee99]

1. I didn't realize that Clemens and his lawyers had such power

to MAKE a house committee hold a hearing. Perhaps they should ask for impeachment hearings.

[Upton]

2. Clemen's lawyers try to bully the committee

I regret they held the hearing as well. Clemens' lawyers bullied the committee into having the hearing and, once there, attempted to dictate the tone of the questioning. Waxman should wipe the stars out of his eyes.

[Riddler]

3. If these fools were half as worried about the legitimacy of our government

as they are about the legitimacy of a baseball record, we would all be a lot better off. And don't even get me to talking about that pompous, useless, egotistical POS Arlen Specter and his outrage over missing NFL tapes when he didn't give a happy damn about the missing CIA tapes.

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4. I'm generally a big fan of Waxman

but he made an ass of himself and his committee this time. Let it die.