Pot to Kettle: You're Black

Well, now that there is a study hinting of scientific impropriety as I posted yesterday, today I've been alerted to another potential case of scientific hand-waving, this time from the White House. EGADS! My confidence in the integrity of our elected officials is absolutely shattered.

It turns out that an EPA study concluded that 'global warming' is a real threat. I have not read the study, but apparently environmental scientists have characterized the data as a robust body of work. However, the conclusion of the study directly counters the political agenda of the current administration, which, as always, claims to be leading the battle for a healthy environment:

In 2001, President Bush withdrew U.S support for the Kyoto climate change agreement claiming that it would hurt the nation's economy. At Tuesday's news conference, Bush defended his strategy to combat climate change:

"In terms of climate change, I've always said it's a serious long-term issue that needs to be dealt with. And my administration isn't waiting around to deal with the issue, we're acting. I don't know if you're aware of this, but we lead the world when it comes to dollars spent, millions of dollars spent on research about climate change. We want to know more about it. It's easier to solve a problem when you know a lot about it. And if you look at the statistics, you'll find the United States has taken the lead on this research."

I cannot dispute the president's assertion that the United States spends the most money on environmental research. In fact, I applaud it. However, I can't applaud the fact that they've hired a former lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute to edit the government-funded climate reports. Apparently, Philip Cooney "repeatedly edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between [greenhouse gas] emissions and global warming."

Perhaps Mr. Cooney's experience as a representative of the API resulted in the ability to critically review data from environmental studies. Perhaps I'm just falling into the trap of the liberal media and too easily believe that the current administration shrugs off scientific conclucions that don't jive with its agenda. But then, there this:

"[The] Guardian of London reported yesterday that the environmental group Greenpeace obtained documents which showed that President Bush's global climate policy was heavily influenced by ExxonMobil and other oil companies."

Of course, what's wrong with oil companies having a say in formulating environmental policy? They probably know better than the rest of us what exactly is being spewed into the air we breathe whenever we burn fossil fuels. It's genius, really. Kind of like letting Big Tobacco formulate health care guidelines for respiratory health.

I should note that in response to questions regarding the reports, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the documents were all approved by government scientists and by an independent panel set up by the National Academies, the leading independent scientific body. President Bush's science adviser, Dr. John H. Marburger III, also approved the reports.