One of the least important subplots of yesterday's inauguration of President Obama involved Roger Clemens. Ever since his shameful performance in front of Congress, there'd been speculation that Roger Clemens would get a pardon that would allow him to avoid prosecution for perjury.

The speculation centered on a reference to Clemens' friendship with the first President Bush during his testimony last year. It was seen as a warning shot that any attempts to prosecute him would be futile since he had friends in powerful places, although that didn't stop the assembly of a grand jury to decide about a Clemens indictment.

The pardon never came, though, and Clemens holds no particular water with the new administration. And, unlike his baseball loving predecesor, President Obama is a basketball fan. 

Even with his close ties to the Bush family, a pardon seemed unlikely. Bush 43 diverted his attention from two wars to make a point of demonizing performance enhancing drugs during the 2004 State of the Union adress. While hypocrisy hasn't stopped most politicians from doing something, bailing out Clemens would have been less popular than bailing out the banking industry.

So the grand jury investigation will continue and Clemens will have to sweat out their findings without hope of a reprieve. Your opinion about whether steroids in baseball should be the business of the federal government may vary, but they've decided to pursue that course. Clemens should have to face the music, then, just like any other citizen accused of a crime.