Barack Obama made an unintentional attack on Joe Biden, his running mate on the Democratic Presidential ticket, for his long legislative record on anabolic steroids. Joseph Biden has been on an anti-steroid crusade for almost two decades; Biden is responsible for key legislation criminalizing anabolic steroids and diverting significant government resources in a misguided attempt at fighting steroids in sports.
Obama attacked Joseph Biden’s position on anabolic steroids (without specificially attributing it to his vice presidential candidate by name) on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning“. Obama suggested that congressional obsession with anabolic steroids was largely a waste of time and that the federal government had far more important things to worry about (“Obama Differs from McCain on Steroids,” October 2).
“I gotta admit that seeing a lot of congressional hearings around steroid use is not probably the best use of congressional time,” Obama said.
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But Obama suggested this morning there were more important things on which the government should focus.
“Kids are watching sports. They’re modeling themselves on athletes,” Obama said. “It’s a serious problem, but it’s one that you want to see the leagues themselves handle in a more appropriate way. We’ve got nuclear weapons and a financial meltdown to worry about. We shouldn’t be worrying about steroids as much as I think sometimes we do.”
Some people think that Barack Obama was criticizing the Republican presidential nominee John McCain which he was most likely attempted to do. But Obama’s campaign disagrees with this interpretation of his comments. Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said the Democrat’s comments were not intended as a dig at McCain.
So, if, for we take the Obama campaign’s denials at face value and the comments were not intended as a “dig at McCain”, then who could be the intended recipient of Obama’s criticisms?
It might as well be Joe Biden. Biden is the chief architect of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 that criminalized the possession of anabolic steroids for non-medical purposes as well as the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 which opened the door for significantly harsher penalties for steroid possession and steroid distribution. This paved the way for more steroid hearings and aggressive federal prosecution of steroid-related cases. There are few as responsible for the grandstanding over anabolic steroids on Capitol Hill as Joe Biden.
Obama’s campaign also claims that his position on anabolic steroids has been consistent for years. Yet, less than five months ago he was speaking a different tune (“Where the candidates stand on sports issues,” May 9).
As a father and an avid sports fan, I understand the dangers that performance enhancing drugs pose for athletes, as well as the teenagers who seek to emulate them, not to mention the effect that these drugs have on the integrity of sports. As president, I would use the bully pulpit of my office to warn Americans about the dangers of performance enhancing drugs, and I would put greater resources into enforcement of existing drug laws. I would also convene a summit of the commissioners of the professional sports leagues, as well as university presidents, to explore options for decreasing the use of these drugs. (emphasis added)
Anabolic steroid law reform is unlikely regardless of which party assumes the office of the President of the United States. The McCain campaign has already stated that fighting steroids in sports is a priority (interpreted as ‘let’s spend more money fighting steroids in sports’).
A McCain administration would continue an aggressive prosecutorial approach, and will focus more on educating our youth about the destructive effects of these substances. And it’s not just performance-enhancing drugs. Our kids are obtaining prescription drugs over the Internet at an alarming rate. His administration would encourage schools to include lessons concerning the adverse health effects of these substances as part of physical education, and disseminate these educational messages at the grassroots level. In addition, my administration would ensure that dietary supplement manufacturers are in compliance with the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act (DSHEA) and not seeking shelter for substances that were never intended to be protected under the Act. A McCain administration would continue to pressure professional sports leagues to adopt zero-tolerance doping policies, and ensure that the Olympic athletes that represent our Nation do so with honor. Also, A McCain administration will provide the necessary support to research laboratories that are working to outpace the science developed by those who seek substances undetectable to testing. (emphasis added)
In other words, it appears that top steroid law defense attorney Rick Collins and his firm will remain in business during the next Presidential administration regardless of who wins!
At least Barack Obama is doing the right thing now by redirecting priorities away from the senseless steroid witch-hunts towards meaningful issues of national and economic security.
If Obama’s comments about steroids were intended as a swipe at John McCain, it makes me wonder if he recognizes the extent of Joe Biden’s involvement in the government’s direction on anabolic steroid legislation. Probably not. The vice presidential vetting process most likely did not extend to Biden’s personal vendetta against steroid users.
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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