Missouri senators back Congress' role in fighting steroids

Major League Baseball needs to address steroid use among players, and Congress can assist in this, U.S. Sens. Jim Talent and Kit Bond said Saturday prior to a Cape Girardeau County Republican Lincoln Day dinner in Cape Girardeau.

Talent said baseball has stonewalled the issue for too long, and as a result, some young athletes are turning to steroids and putting their health at risk.

"I don't want these kids thinking they have to take steroids to go to the pros," he said before taking center stage at the Lincoln Day dinner at the Arena Building.

About 300 area Republicans turned out for the 36th annual celebration, including many county and state elected officials.

A U.S. House committee plans to hold hearings on the steroids issue and has subpoenaed current and former baseball players to testify, including former Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire.

Talent and Bond welcomed the House investigation.

"It may be the kick in the pants baseball needs," Talent said.

Talent said Congress isn't looking to police baseball but rather for the major league to police itself.

"I don't think anybody wants to pass legislation on this," Talent said.

Bond said he was given steroids by his doctor in 1988 because of a painful neck injury.

He took the steroids for about three days before deciding to stop. Bond said he experienced some ill effects and didn't want to become dependent on steroids.

On more deeply entrenched political issues, Bond and Talent said Congress needs to move ahead, such as with opening up the Alaskan wilderness to oil exploration.

The Republican senators said they may have enough votes to do so this year despite opposition from environmentalists.

Talent said opening up Alaska to more oil production could help bring down gasoline prices.

At the Lincoln Day dinner, Talent predicted that the GOP-led Congress won't allow Democratic filibusters to hold up confirmation of President Bush's judicial nominees.

"If we have to," Talent said, "we will take away the power to filibuster."

The president, he said, should be allowed to have his federal judge nominations approved by a simple majority. Anything more than a simple majority diminishes presidential power, Talent said.

Both Talent and Bond defended the Bush administration's war against terrorism and specifically the war in Iraq.

"The place was overrun by terrorists," Bond said of Iraq, explaining Bush's decision to go to war.

Bush has pushed for free elections and democracy in the Arab world while taking a hard line against the Muslim terrorists, the senator said.

Freedom and democracy, he said, are human needs around the world.

"The Berlin Wall is falling in the Arab world," Bond said.

Besides speeches by Bond, Talent and other Republican leaders, the dinner honored two area Republicans.

The Southeast Missouri Pachyderm Club presented its Republican Spirit Award to Lloyd Smith of Sikeston, Mo., in recognition of his 24 years of service in the 8th Congressional District.

Smith has served as chief of staff for the district's representative in Congress since 1981, first for Bill Emerson and then for Emerson's widow, Jo Ann Emerson.

The Cape Girardeau County Republican Central Committee presented the Bill Emerson Public Service Award to Paul Summers of Cape Girardeau, a retired sergeant major for the Missouri Army National Guard.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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