Science Editorial Attacks Bush Gag Rules for Scientists

Science editor Donald Kennedy, who once served as FDA commissioner, has lashed out at the Bush administration's crude attempts to silence scientists. A hard-hitting editorial lambasted them for attempting to silence global warming proponents at the National Oceanographic and Atmopshere Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It concludes:

"These two incidents are part of a troublesome pattern to which the Bush administration has become addicted: Ignore evidence if it doesn’t favor the preferred policy outcome. Above all, don’t let the public get an idea that scientists inside government disagree with the party line. The new gag rules
support the new Bush mantra, an interesting inversion of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield’s view on war: “You don’t make policy with the science you have. You make policy with the science you WANT.”