A slugger takes a hit

The dog days of summer are here, so judicial and ambassadorial nominations take a back seat to baseball, and for all the wrong reasons. USA Today calls slugger Rafael Palmeiro “a Hall of Fame hypocrite” after testing positive for steroids. Its editorial very briefly addresses Palmeiro’s defense -- that he unknowingly took tainted nutritional supplements -- by saying “he should have known” to stay away from such risky substances in the first place.

The Washington Post avoids name-calling and more reservedly uses the Palmeiro drama to call for tougher, 50-game suspensions for first-time steroid offenders. Although baseball has seen its fair share of cheaters over the last century, the Post says, steroid abuse poses a much more serious risk to the game because players themselves are “among the primary victims.”

Elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal employs the usual we’re-at-war mantra to encourage President Bush to keep the recess appointments coming. Senate confirmations have gone nowhere, so Bush should bypass senators who “march to their own tin drummers” and fill two top Pentagon posts before lawmakers return from their monthlong recess, the Journal advises.

Paul Thornton