Clemens Hearing Report Card: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

The Clemens hearing is over now, and the assorted parties have retreated. The Clemens Hearing Report Card will assess the key players' performances in a way that has about as much to do with baseball as the hearing itself. Up next: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton!

As the Congresswoman from D.C., Eleanor Holmes Norton doesn't get many moments in the sun. She's a delegate, not a representative, and, as such, isn't allowed to cast a vote on legislation. Why a city full of American citizens isn't afforded representation is a discussion for a different blog, but she is allowed to take part in committee work.

That brought her to today's hearing where she authored one of the more memorable exchanges of the entire day. She cataloged a litany of things Brian McNamee did while in the employ of Roger Clemens that would have made most people end their relationship with him. He lied about having a Ph.D. and injected his wife with HGH, among other things. Finally, she cut to the quick.

Norton: "Why did you keep this man? He did some pretty horrendous things."

Clemens: "I'm a forgiving person."

Norton: "Mr. Clemens, I'm sure you're going to heaven."

Some say this was a softball but I read it exactly opposite. To me, it was a sarcastic takedown of a man who claimed the high road all day but when faced with a lowlife looked the other way. Maybe I'm overrating her sense of humor because she's been funny on The Colbert Report several times. But I don't think so.

Eleanor Holmes Norton: A

More Clemens Coverage:
Roger Clemens Hearing Live Blog Part 1 | Part 2
The More Talk About Andy Pettitte, the Worse It Gets for Roger Clemens
Clemens, McNamee Each Have Their Fans in Congressional Hearings