President Says DeLay Is Not Guilty of Money Laundering
By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 15, 2005; A07

President Bush said yesterday he is confident that former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) is innocent of money-laundering charges, as he offered strong support for several top Republicans who have been battered by investigations or by rumors of fading clout inside the White House.

In an interview with Fox News, Bush said he hopes DeLay will be cleared of charges that he illegally steered corporate money into campaigns for the Texas legislature and will reclaim his powerful leadership position in Congress.

"I hope that he will, 'cause I like him, and plus, when he's over there, we get our votes through the House," Bush told Fox News's Brit Hume.

Hm. That last paragraph sounds familiar...

Bush was asked, for instance, about Baltimore Orioles slugger Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro tested positive for steroids recently, and has been punished with a 10-day suspension by Major League Baseball. Palmeiro testified before Congress earlier this year on baseball's steroid controversy. At that time, under oath, he said, "I have never used steroids-period."

Oops.When asked about the Palmeiro situation, President Bush said, "Rafael Palmeiro is a friend. He's the kind of person that's going to stand up in front of the klieg lights and say he didn't use steroids and I believe him. Still do."

I actually wanted to link an editorial by Jonathan Chait in the L.A. Times, but it's offline now, so I have to link the post I made about the editorial instead.