The powers that be spoke recently on the ownership of the Washington Nationals.

Unfortunately, they spoke with a venom that borders on McCarthyism, and reflects the ultra conservative nature that gets the U.S. in more trouble daily around the world.

I am referencing the comments of Tom Davis and Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.), who showed a marked dislike to George Soros, financier, philanthropist and author of The Bubble of American Supremacy.

Now, I realize that one can dislike someone for their political views, especially since Mr. Soros has utilized the media market to spread his distaste for George Bush, but to insinuate threats against MLB baseball if they accept a bid by entrepreneur Jon Ledecky (George Soros is a minor partner) is just wrong. It was Rep. John Sweeney who actually suggested baseball's antitrust exemption might be in trouble on the Hill if MLB let Soros acquire the Washington Nationals.

From the Washington Post:

Other words used to describe Mr. Soros included Tom Davis calling Soros "a convicted felon" and "pro-marijuana." He was referring to Soros's conviction in France on insider trading charges, and to the fact that Soros favors the decriminalization of marijuana, and clean needle programs, as a way to combat drug use.

"You've got a league with a steroid problem, and you're going to sell the team to a guy who is pro marijuana? I just don't think we need or want that in the nation's capital. I just don't think you want such a polarizing figure." Davis states.

George is also an "out of towner." To listen to Davis, you wonder if he's next going to say Soros's Hungarian accent is too thick.

"I mean, to me, Soros is the guy who has so much money and wants to buy the world," Davis said. "I mean that's not what baseball's about. This is above all a fan sport. This is the Nationals, and they're going to give it to some multinational?"

Mr. Davis must have forgotten "some multinational" owns the Seattle Mariners: Hiroshi Yamauchi, the former president and CEO of Nintendo. Or that George Steinbrenner is that worst of things: a convicted felon (pardoned.) Mr. Davis must have forgotten about all the immigrants that came over during the last two centuries – a few of which must have been Hungarian – that became successful and lived the American Dream.

Much of what George Soros says sounds unpatriotic or not supportive of the President and the Republican party, but in all fairness, he is just pointing out the slippery slope and dangers of losing sight of an  ‘Open Society’.

In a article he wrote, Mr. Soros states: "To explain what is wrong with the new Bush doctrine, I have to invoke the concept of open society. That is the concept that has guided me in my efforts to foster freedom around the world. The work has been carried out through foundations operating …when a repressive regime expels our foundation – as has happened in Belarus and Uzbekistan – we operate from the outside.

Paradoxically, the most successful open society in the world, the US, does not properly understand the first principles of an open society; indeed, its current leadership actively disavows them. The concept of open society is based on the recognition that nobody possesses the ultimate truth, and that to claim otherwise leads to repression. In short, we may be wrong."

Lastly, in baseball and in life, the cream rises to the top. Bad owners, bad players, bad managers all will find a quick exit due to the pressures of performance in the sport. It is quite a coincidence that George W. Bush was at least a part-owner of the Texas Rangers that never fulfilled much promise while he owned the team in the early 1990’s (or afterwards.) Did he really meet all the requirements to own a team? He must have.

And finally, an excerpt I wrote about foreign policy, last year: