Demagogue

Former baseball star Jose Canseco has a book coming out that implicates baseball players and even points fingers -- albeit, less seriously -- at George W. Bush. According to Sports Illustrated:

Canseco said he, (Mark) McGwire and Jason Giambi shot steroids together in the bathroom stall at the Oakland Coliseum ... McGwire has always denied using steroids.

... Canseco also said President Bush, the Rangers' general managing partner at the time (when Canseco said he and other Rangers used steroids), must have known about the steroid use.

White House spokesman Trent Duffy did not specifically address Canseco's assertion, but said Sunday that Bush's position on steroids "has been known for some time," noting that he condemned the drugs in his 2004 State of the Union address.

Is it possible that Bush knew that certain players on his team were using steroids? Yes, it's possible. But highly, highly doubtful.

As someone who has followed the sport of baseball fairly closely -- a card-carrying member of the Society for American Baseball Research (aren't you impressed?) -- I find Canseco's allegation very hard to believe. Most baseball team owners have relatively limited contact with their players, even during the course of a season.

Canseco's allegations about McGwire strike me as very plausible. But, unless additional evidence comes to light, this is one case where Bush seems to be taking unwarranted criticism.