Monday, February 06, 2006

The Bush administration: Science, like democracy, staggers onward.


Yes, everyone else is making fun of this, too.

In October, for example, George Deutsch, a presidential appointee in NASA headquarters, told a Web designer working for [NASA] to add the word "theory" after every mention of the Big Bang, according to an e-mail message from Mr. Deutsch that another NASA employee forwarded to The Times.

And who is George Deutsch, that he would ride herd over the semantics of capable and professional scientists at NASA?

The Big Bang memo came from Mr. Deutsch, a 24-year-old presidential appointee in the press office at NASA headquarters whose résumé says he was an intern in the "war room" of the 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. A 2003 journalism graduate of Texas A&M, he was also the public-affairs officer who sought more control over Dr. Hansen's public statements.

Great. A 24-year-old Aggie journalism major is now telling NASA scientists how to do their jobs. And to their everlasting shame, those scientists didn't just descend on Deutsch's desk and give him the mother of all atomic wedgies.

I can't wait for Deutsch to start giving those folks advice on how to fix the problems with the Space Shuttle. Apparently, those Aggies are really keen on duct tape.

BONUS SNARK: You just had to know that PZ would jump all over this, too.

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