GOP Lawmaker Throws a Pre-Emptive Strike

The Washington Nationals' ten-man pitching staff? Not a single lefty on it. Even so, liberal billionaire George Soros is part of a group of investors bidding on the team, and that has some Republican lawmakers dishing out the chin music:

Roll Call: "I think Major League Baseball understands the stakes," said Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R), the Northern Virginia lawmaker who recently convened high-profile steroid hearings. "I don't think they want to get involved in a political fight."

Davis, whose panel also oversees District of Columbia issues, said that if a Soros sale went through, "I don't think it's the Nats that get hurt. I think it's Major League Baseball that gets hurt..."

It's true. Super-rich billionaire owners are bad for Major League Baseball. Who's good? Failed oil industry executives who use government power to force private citizens to sell their land cheap for stadium development purposes.

In related news, Chairman Davis is also "strongly advising" MLB to block the sale of official MLB baseball caps to Michael Moore, and Topps to block the sale of baseball cards to Al Franken. "I think they understand the stakes," he said, echoing his comments about the potential Soros deal. "You can't be a liberal and buy baseball stuff too. That's not how this country works."— GREG BEATO

 Not Your Country [The Stakeholder, via Atrios ]