A Real Pain In The Butt
Lawyer Andrew Cohen analyzes legal affairs for CBS News and CBSNews.com.
Thanks to today’s extraordinary hearing on Capitol Hill, Americans now know more about Roger Clemens’ butt than they ever wanted to know. The Congressional hearing into Clemens’ alleged steroid and Human Growth Hormone use fairly quickly morphed into a primer on how buttocks could react when injected with certain kinds of drugs. If there has been a more surreal hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am not aware of it.
What did we learn? That Brian McNamee, Clemens' former trainer, is sorry for lying before, but swears he isn’t lying now. That McNamee injected Clemens' wife, Debbie, with HGH in the bedroom of Clemens’ house without Clemens being there to supervise the procedure. That McNamee’s recollections are not always perfect. That Clemens' BFF Andy Petitte, the Yankees pitcher, seems to be making it through this scandal with his reputation for candor and honesty intact. Also that, in the end, all Clemens can say is: I’m right and the rest of them are wrong.
Clemens may not have ruined his cause Wednesday, but the hearing clearly did not help his case. And I think Clemens is beginning to appreciate the height of the mountain he will have to climb if he ever wants to regain his reputation and guarantee his liberty.
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
What did we learn? That Brian McNamee, Clemens' former trainer, is sorry for lying before, but swears he isn’t lying now. That McNamee injected Clemens' wife, Debbie, with HGH in the bedroom of Clemens’ house without Clemens being there to supervise the procedure. That McNamee’s recollections are not always perfect. That Clemens' BFF Andy Petitte, the Yankees pitcher, seems to be making it through this scandal with his reputation for candor and honesty intact. Also that, in the end, all Clemens can say is: I’m right and the rest of them are wrong.
Clemens may not have ruined his cause Wednesday, but the hearing clearly did not help his case. And I think Clemens is beginning to appreciate the height of the mountain he will have to climb if he ever wants to regain his reputation and guarantee his liberty.
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