Just as long as he's consistent

It just boggles the mind sometimes. President Bush gets re-elected, largely because some people [read: idiots] think of him as a strong, consistent leader. He's not a flip-flopper! (Never mind the ridiculous amounts of examples of his flip-flopping.)

Let's look back, for instance, at his 2004 State of the Union, where he barely mentioned the war and instead focused on...steroids.

To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message -- that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.

OK. Hm...not terribly relevant to what I personally think our President should be worrying about, but fine. FINE. Hard to argue with that message. But then, when Rafael Palmeiro gets busted for steroids, how does our strong, consistent leader react?

President Bush -- who owned the Texas Rangers while Palmeiro played for the team -- called Palmeiro a "friend" in a round-table interview with reporters from several Texas newspapers. "He's testified in public, and I believe him," Bush added.

Meanwhile, Palmeiro on his own said the following:

"I made a mistake and I'm facing it," [Palmeiro] said. "I hope that people learn from my mistake and I hope that the fans forgive me."

Palmeiro sort of faced the music. (OK, speaking frankly, he still insists he has no idea how he got busted - er, how the roids ended up in his bloodstream, but he admits he made a mistake somewhere along the line.)

Leaders admit when they've made a mistake. Leaders admit that they've had to re-evaluate issues. It is unsuprising to me that in this same casual press gaggle, Bush also defended Karl "Turdblossom" Rove and intelligent design. No further comment necessary.