by Mike Dorning
OAKLAND–Now that Barry Bonds holds the home-run record, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can give his answer: Yes, Obama would invite the San Francisco Giants player to the White House if he were president.
Last night, Obama dodged the question when asked at the AFL-CIO presidential candidates debate whether he would invite Bonds, given the controversy surrounding the player’s alleged use of steroids.
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“He hasn’t done it yet,” Obama said when pressed to answer a question that he didn’t answer with his first remarks. “So we’ll answer the question when it comes.”
A few hours later, Bonds hit his 756th home run, breaking the record. So the question came up again at a press conference today in Oakland, Calif., and Obama had his answer ready.
“If I were president, I probably would. It’s a remarkable achievement. And he deserves, I think, our congratulations,” Obama said.
But, Obama continued, “”I remain concerned about the cloud that exists not just in baseball but in everything from basketball to the Tour de France. I mean you just get a sense right now that sports is suffering from a crisis of confidence and my hope is that all the various sports leagues take those responsibilities seriously.”
“I would like to see our sports leagues recognize that children look up sports stars probably more than any other individuals. And right now I’m not sure that our kids are learning the right lessons or like what they see,” he added.