Free Republic

When it's your job to serve as the president's in-house expert on science and technology, being constantly in the media spotlight isn't necessarily a mark of distinction. But for President Bush's stoically inclined science adviser John Marburger, immense controversy followed his blanket dismissal last year of allegations (now endorsed by 48 Nobel laureates) that the administration has systematically abused science. So it was more than a little refreshing last Wednesday to hear Marburger take a strong stance against science politicization and abuse on one issue where it really matters: evolution. Speaking at the annual conference of the National Association of...

President Bush believes that science is key to protecting our nation, strengthening our economy, and improving our lives. During this administration, we have seen a dramatic increase in science funding that will ensure America's continued dominant status as the world's leading innovator and drive new scientific discovery and technological innovation. These investments will lead to advances in national and homeland security, job creation, and quality of life for all Americans. We lead the world in government funding for research. America currently spends 21/2 times more on federally funded research and development than all the European Union countries combined, and three...

The average scientific dispute is a joust in obscurity, a clash over technical matters that few but the immediate combatants grasp or are even aware of. Dr. John H. Marburger III, President Bush's science adviser, might relish a dose of that obscurity right now. Instead, he has become the first line of defense against accusations that the Bush administration has systematically distorted scientific fact and stacked technical advisory committees to advance favored policies on the environment, on biomedical research and on other areas like the search for unconventional weapons in Iraq. Dr. Marburger says that pattern is illusory, a product...