Scientists criticize Bush policy

The Bush administration has consistently been distorting the findings of scientific committees, ignoring their conclusions and otherwise mismanaging national scientific research to partisan political ends, a group of more than 50 scientists, including three University professors — two of them Nobel Laureates — said yesterday.

The group included University physics professors Phillip Anderson and Val Fitch and geology and international affairs professor Michael Oppenheimer.

Both Anderson and Fitch are Nobel Laureates and recipients of the National Medal of Science.

"When scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with its political goals, the administration has often manipulated the process through which science enters into its decisions," the statement read.

"This has been done," the statement continued, "by placing people who are professionally unqualified or who have clear conflicts of interest in official posts and on scientific advisory committees; by disbanding existing advisory committees; by censoring and suppressing reports by the government's own scientists; and by simply not seeking independent scientific advice."

In an interview yesterday evening, Professor Anderson said that proper scientific advice is important to policy making. But he said the administration does not agree with this view.

"It's very, very important that the government, whenever possible, act on intelligent and correct advice," Anderson said. "If there is a freight train coming your way it's a good idea to listen to the whistle."

The current administration is listening for these indicators far less than any previous one, Anderson said.

The most ignored whistles so far have been those indicating a trend of global warming. The administration has been making decisions about this issue without the proper advice, he said.

Charges of political influence in previously apolitical parts of the federal government have been made against the Bush administration.

For more than a year now, the White House has been defending itself against charges that it pressured the intelligence community to find evidence to support a war in Iraq.

Indeed, the administration ignored the council of scientists who knew that evidence concerning a possible Iraqi uranium enrichment program was, in fact, not an indication of such a program, Anderson said.