Home > Window on Washington > Archives > 2007 > August > 08 > Entry
Bush and Bonds
After some morning White House wordsmithing about why President Bush hadn’t called to congratulate Barry Bonds on breaking the home run record, we’re now told the two have indeed chatted today.
“He’s a really good hitter,” Bush told reporters after an economic briefing today. “I said ‘Congratulations.’”
He called it “my honor” to chat with the new home-run king.
Earlier today, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush did not stay up to watch the historic home run last night and had not yet called Bonds to offer congratulations.
The reason: “The president was asleep when Barry Bonds hit his home run. And Barry Bonds was asleep when the president came to work today. You know, I mean, it’s one of those things where baseball players, especially after setting records, tend to stay up late, and especially when you’re three time zones away.”
Earlier today, Snow sidestepped questions about whether Bush - a former baseball executive whose childhood hero Willie Mays is Bonds’ godfather - thought the record is tainted by suspicions about whether Bonds used steroids.
“Right now there is a league-wide investigation going on into steroid use and questions about Barry Bonds will be answered certainly in the fullness of time.” Snow said Bush “commends” Major League Baseball and former Sen. George Mitchell for “taking a good, hard look at a problem that needs to be taken a look at.”
“They obviously have taken steps to test for steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, and at the same time, as the president said in the State of the Union address, the use of these drugs sends the wrong message,” Snow said. “It’s dangerous … kids worship athletes, and athletes who endanger themselves through the use of these drugs send not only a wrong message to the kids, but they also do damage to their own lives.”
Earlier today, Snow sidestepped questions about whether Bush - a former baseball executive whose childhood hero Willie Mays is Bonds’ godfather - thought the record is tainted by suspicions about whether Bonds used steroids.
“Right now there is a league-wide investigation going on into steroid use and questions about Barry Bonds will be answered certainly in the fullness of time.” Snow said Bush “commends” Major League Baseball and former Sen. George Mitchell for “taking a good, hard look at a problem that needs to be taken a look at.”
“They obviously have taken steps to test for steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, and at the same time, as the president said in the State of the Union address, the use of these drugs sends the wrong message,” Snow said. “It’s dangerous … kids worship athletes, and athletes who endanger themselves through the use of these drugs send not only a wrong message to the kids, but they also do damage to their own lives.”
Permalink | |
