JOHN TIERNEY: Politics-free science?

I was interested to see that this new memorandum instructs agency administrators to “have appropriate rules and procedures to ensure the integrity of the scientific process within the agency, including whistleblower protection.” Do you suppose this protection will inspire any government scientists to question Mr. Obama’s claim that global warming is causing “storms that are growing stronger with each passing hurricane season”? How many government economists will speak about the theoretical and practical advantages of a carbon tax over the cap-and-trade system being promoted by the administration? How many federal scientists discuss the environmental problems blamed on the ethanol subsidies favored by Mr. Obama?

If there are whistleblowers feeling newly empowered, please feel free to post comments here.

Heh.

Meanwhile, here’s some of my criticism of Bush on science and politics. I have to say that Obama’s not looking very different.