WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Track and field superstar Marion Jones stood before an army of television cameras last Friday and pled guilty in U.S. District Court in  White Plains, N.Y., to lying to federal investigators when she denied that she had used performance enhancing drugs.

Jones admitted to taking steroids from September 2000 to July 2001 and said she was told by former coach Trevor Graham that she was taking flaxseed oil when it was actually the steroid THG. Jones claimed she didn't realize she was taking performance-enhancing drugs until November of 2003.

The darling of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia , Jones won five medals, three gold and two bronze. Now, she is reportedly broke, disgraced, and could be facing prison time.

What makes Jones' admission so difficult for everyone who believed she was clean was the passion and vehemence with which she proclaimed her innocence, even going so far as to file a lawsuit against Victor Conte and the infamous BALCO laboratory.

"I have never, ever used performance enhancing drugs," Jones said defiantly in 2004 in her grand jury testimony in the BALCO investigation. Last year, Jones had a urine sample test positive for EPO, but her backup sample came up negative. But claiming her conscience was bothering her, Jones finally told the truth. Or at least, some of it. 

"It's with a great amount of shame that I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust. I have been dishonest, and you have the right to be angry with me. I have let my family down. I have let my country down, and I have let myself down," a teary eyes Jones said after her hearing, at which point she also announced her retirement.

But the most disturbing thing about Jones' admission of guilt is that she still has yet to take full responsibility for her actions. Throughout her testimony and her subsequent statements, Jones still lays much of the blame at the feet of Graham, using the oh-so-tired excuse that she didn't "knowingly" take performance enhancing drugs. That she trusted her coach.

So, how many world class athletes does this make now who are simply popping pills, spreading on the cream, putting the clear underneath their tongues and sticking themselves with needles that claim to have no clue what they are taking? Forgive me, but I've lost count.

I believe I first heard this saying sometime during Watergate (and by the way, when are we going to stop sticking the word "gate" at the end of every scandal? Enough already, but I digress) that it's not the crime, it's the cover up.

At this point, it would almost be a refreshing novelty to see an athlete who gets caught cheating simply say, "I knew what I was taking. I take full responsibility for what I did."

I'm also not as impressed as some of my colleagues who are applauding Jones for returning her medals, apologizing to her competitors, and asking to have her records vacated. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was going to do that anyway.

It's often been said that this is a country that believes in forgiveness and second chances, especially in the world of sports. We'll forgive almost anything if it's accompanied by honesty, contrition and taking full responsibility for your actions.

I've yet to hear Jones say that despite what Graham may have told her, she knew she was taking steroids, instead of expecting us to believe she spent years thinking it was flaxseed oil.

If Jones thinks this mess she's in is more Trevor Graham's fault than hers, then she's still lying, both to herself and to us.

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the U.S. war in Iraq was a 'pointless' battle against the Iraqi people, the latest jab at Washington from the increasingly confrontational Russian leader.

Speaking during an annual televised question-and-answer session, Putin was asked by a mechanic from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk for his thoughts on comments made several years ago by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who suggested that Siberia had too many natural resources to belong to one country.

'I know that some politicians play with such ideas in their heads. This, in my view, is the sort of political erotica that might satisfy a person but hardly leads to a positive result,' Putin responded.

'The best example of that are the events in Iraq '” a small country that can hardly defend itself and which possesses huge oil reserves. And we see what's going on there. They've learned to shoot there but they are not managing to bring order.

'One can wipe off a political map some tyrannical regime ... but it's absolutely pointless to fight with a people,' he said. 'Russia, thank God, isn't Iraq. It has enough strength and power to defend itself and its interests, both on its territory and in other parts of the world.'

Praises economic gains
Putin opened the session by reeling off a string of statistics showing the improvement of Russia's economy in the seven years he has been in office. Much of the economic growth has been due to high world oil prices.

He also said the country's birth rate was the highest it has been in 16 years and the death rate the lowest since 1999.

Thursday's session '” the sixth Putin has participated in since coming to office in 2000, was broadcast live on state-controlled TV and radio stations. In past years, it has lasted several hours and consists of people from around the vast country asking the president selected questions mainly on bread-and-butter issues.

A sampling of questions listed on a Web site set up by the broadcasters ranged from concerns about salaries for public sector workers to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and environmental worries.

Putin, who is widely popular among Russians for the stability and relative prosperity he has brought to the country, has sought to use phone-ins along with tightly choreographed, lavish television coverage to project the image of a leader responding directly to voters' concerns.

Last year Putin answered more than 50 questions in a three-hour session. Correspondents from the state-run networks chose questioners from among small crowds in towns and cities around the vast country; it was impossible to tell whether most questions were arranged in advance or if questioners were coached.

Others phoned in, submitted questions by e-mail or sent text messages.

© 2007 The Associated Press