This morning on the Today show, we finally got to hear Michael Phelps discuss, and atone for, his horrible sins. Perched perilously close to the pool's edge, Matt Lauer pointed out that he and Phelps had been in a similar situation in 2004, when Phelps got a DUI. “I’ll be the first one to admit I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life in the pool and out of the pool,” Phelps responded, lying about making mistakes "in the pool," where he is flawless. And what about this time? "Were you smoking pot?" Lauer asked, knowing damn well that he had. Phelps declined to admit it outright — you never know if that sadistic sheriff down in South Carolina could resist such juicy evidence — but with a smile, said, "I mean, we all know what you and I are talking about. It's a stupid mistake." Fortunately for America, Phelps is once again killing his body to get in shape for the world swimming championships, and later, an event people care about, the 2012 Olympics.

Michael Phelps: ‘It was a bad mistake’ [Today/MSNBC]