Charles Barkley gets political

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former NBA star Charles Barkley takes shots at Democrats and Republicans in his new book, "I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It."

Barkley went one-on-two with "Crossfire" hosts James Carville and Robert Novak to discuss his possible political aspirations, his book and the Enron scandal.

CARVILLE: You're in Power City now. This is a political place. Let me ask you a question. Will you or will you not be a candidate for political office in these United States of America?

BARKLEY: Well, it depends on if they try to do the right thing. I don't want to get involved in politics if they're just going to screw up the system and not try to help everybody. So to answer your question, I don't know yet.

CARVILLE: Well come on, Charles, we're in Washington. If you're going to be in politics, one of the right things to do is to say "yay" or "nay." I'm going to do it, or I'm not going to do it. Will you?

BARKLEY: Well, right now the answer is no because the guys only make $88,000 a year and the only way you can make ends meet on that type of job, with that type of stress, is to fondle money to your friends and other family members. And I don't want to go through that hassle. So the answer really is no.

CARVILLE: But you've got a little cash in the bank.

NOVAK: He gave you a no. He gave you a no. He's not going to do it.

CARVILLE: I'm trying to talk him into it. I think he'd be a great candidate.

NOVAK: Mr. Barkley, it's been rumored ... I think you've even said it, but I'm going to ask you straight, are you a Republican?

BARKLEY: I'm not either, to be honest with you. I made a joke with my grandmother one time. I was asking her, "Why are we always a Democrat?" I said, "Because you know, I don't know. Everyone in Alabama is a Democrat. Why are we Democrats?" She said, "... Republicans are only for rich people." And I said, "I'm rich." And she hasn't given me a viable answer.

I don't really go with either being a Republican or a Democrat. I like people.

NOVAK: I was reading Page 78 of your book. I almost had a stroke when I read it. ...

"Half the executives of Enron have participated in congressional hearings, but nobody's in jail yet. They've stolen millions of dollars and hid it real good. And all those working people, some of them just working-class people, have lost their jobs, their pensions, their 401(k) plan."

As a matter of fact, Mr. Barkley, a lot of people in Enron are going to jail. A couple have been indicted. We are not in a communist state. It takes a little time. But that is straight Democratic-type crap.

What I want to know is did Michael Wilbon dictate that to you?

Wilbon did a great job. But I hope Republicans want to see people who stole all that money go to jail.

Just for people in the audience who might not know it, your collaborator in this book is Michael Wilbon, who's a left-wing sportswriter.

BARKLEY: Left wing?

Michael Wilbon is probably [one of] the nicest guys I've met. But you know what? You do not have to be a Democrat or a Republican. Those people stole money.

NOVAK: They're going to jail. It takes time.

BARKLEY: We don't know that.

CARVILLE: I bet you if some black kid in Alabama was smoking pot, he'd be in jail in about two seconds.

BARKLEY: You didn't even finish the rest of it. Because if a poor person, whether they're black or white, if they get caught selling drugs, they take all of their money, their houses and cars. These guys at Enron -- some of them paid a fine, and they still live in big, nice houses.

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