Politics and Science in the Bush Administration

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The American people depend upon federal agencies to develop science-based policies that protect the nation's health and welfare. Recently, however, leading scientific journals have begun to question whether scientific integrity at federal agencies has been sacrificed to further a political and ideological agenda.

At the request of Rep. Henry A. Waxman, the minority staff of the Government Reform Committee assessed the treatment of science and scientists by the Bush Administration.

The report Politics and Science in the Bush Administration (.pdf) finds numerous instances where the Administration has manipulated the scientific process and distorted or suppressed scientific findings. Beneficiaries include important supporters of the President, including social conservatives and powerful industry groups.

This website is an ongoing record of interference with science by the Bush Administration.

Investigating the Bush Administration's Promotion of Ideology Over Science

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Read the book "Legal Alchemy" by David Faigman and you'll find that Bush is hardly the first. Waxman has been known to use a bit of scientific fiction himself when it suits his purposes. He's used plenty of it fighting the Yucca Mountian project over the last 10 years or so.

(and I'm not discounting Bush's misuse nor defending it. He just isn't the first and he won't be the last.. Science is a wonderful thing when you can subvert it to support your preconceived ideas..)

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That really might be the fact, fishin'.

So this is all nonsense and fiction?

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But is it true there are mudslides now on Mt Killimanjero?

Of course you're right, fishin. Bush isn't the first, nor will he, regrettably, be the last. But there is a terrible dearth of people with curious scientific minds in his administration, and it has been reported many times that reports by non-partisan groups (and requested by Bush) have been ignored because they did not agree with his policies.

So no, it's not all nonsense and fiction. But neither is it as reported sometimes by people with other axes to grind. However, there does seem to be more and more concern about the lack of interest in or support of various scientific projects.

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I haven't looked through the entire laundry list but in a few cases at least the report clearly states that there is science to support the Bush administration position.

The hard reality is that there is disagreement within the scientific community on just about everything. In the items I looked at the report seems to be more concerned with the "who" then the what. They give references to studies that support the Bush administration and don't discredit those reports or demonstrate proven errors in them.

Instead the report writers attempt to insinuate that those studies are flawed based on who is connected to them. (which is a bit of irony for a report which is critical of the use of science..)

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I doubt it is nonsense and fiction. It is probably true. And Fishin' is probably right that it happens much more than any of us would like to think it does.

Politics is a dirty business -- and the people who are professionals in it are dirty.

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"Science", "Nature" and the "New England Journal of Medicine" have reported similar as done in the report, only some time before that and obviously unheard.

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mamajuana wrote:

But there is a terrible dearth of people with curious scientific minds in his administration, and it has been reported many times that reports by non-partisan groups (and requested by Bush) have been ignored because they did not agree with his policies.

This is the one item that really does seem to come through consistantly in the report.

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Politics and Science in the Bush Administration

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