When not reading The Third Estate Sunday Review, Barack Obama (pictured above) likes to give speeches. All last week, he kept talking about the Republican Party's "Pledge To America." At Bowie State University, for example, he declared, "Now, I want everybody to take a look at this 'Pledge to America.' It's interesting -- they put it out with great fanfare, but now nobody is really talking about it."
Great fanfare?
Like a March 9, 2009 speech given at a signing ceremony?
One where Barack declared:
This Order is an important step in advancing the cause of science in America. But let's be clear: promoting science isn't just about providing resources -- it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient -- especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda -- and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology. By doing this, we will ensure America's continued global leadership in scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. That is essential not only for our economic prosperity, but for the progress of all humanity. That is why today, I am also signing a Presidential Memorandum directing the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to government decision making. To ensure that in this new Administration, we base our public policies on the soundest science; that we appoint scientific advisors based on their credentials and experience, not their politics or ideology; and that we are open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions. That is how we will harness the power of science to achieve our goals -- to preserve our environment and protect our national security; to create the jobs of the future, and live longer, healthier lives. As Scott Horsley (NPR's All Things Considered -- link has audio and text) pointed out Friday, "The president's pledge has turned out to be inconvenient for the White House, which is now 15 months overdue in publishing its scientific integrity guidelines."
Last week, Barack repeatedly found humor in the GOP's "Pledge To America" and repeatedly insisted -- in speech after speech -- that they had introduced it with great fanfare and then dropped it. Don't get much greater on the fanfare scale than a White House ceremony and when you promise new scientific guidelines in six months and it drags on to over 15 months? Maybe you're really not the person to finger point?
Especially when the independent commission looking into the government's response to the Gulf Disaster finds that the White House was less than transparent. Scott Horsley reported:
This week's draft report from staffers of the presidential commission raise questions about just how open and honest the administration was in talking about the oil spill. The report notes that scientists outside of government, including some contacted by NPR, were able to provide much more accurate information, while for weeks the administration publicly low-balled the amount of oil flowing from the well and later provided unduly rosy estimates of how much of that oil had disappeared. [. . .] One of the most damning charges in the draft report is that the Office of Management and Budget prevented government scientists from releasing some of their forecasts about how much damage the oil spill might cause.
As Barack said repeatedly, laughing each time last week, "You can't make this stuff up."
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Rebecca's "barack's war on science" and Wally's "THIS JUST IN! BARRY O THE HYPOCRITE!" and Cedric's "Barack holds others to standards (not himself)" covered this top last week.
