Undermining Science: Suppression and Distortion in the Bush Administration

by Seth Shulman

Book Overview

This vitally important expos shows how the Bush administration has systematically misled Americans on a wide range of scientific issues affecting public health, foreign policy, and the environment by ignoring, suppressing, manipulating, or even distorting scientific research. It is the first book to focus exclusively on how this explosive issue has played out during the presidency of George W. Bush and the first to comprehensively document his administration's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520256263
• ISBN13: 9780520256262
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.5" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

The Destruction of Proper Process

This reviewer has worked for the Navy Dept. in Washington, and for businesses, big and small. I am a "conservative liberal" Democrat, so that will color my comments. With that background, I must say that anyone who wishes to get a real understanding of what the Bush administration has done to distort the proper process of government at all levels must read this book. For example, in May of 2008, it was in the news that the administration directed the EPA to take into account the cost to businesses of the regulations which it proposes. This is a clear conflict of interests; it is the job of such agencies to propose a regulation, give the supporting facts to justify it, circulate it to the public for comments, and leave it to the politicians to resolve the conflicts. Seth Shulman's book documents this kind of action throughout government, how political considerations have been brought to bear on every agency. It reminds one of the stories we have heard about the ubiquitous presence of political officers in the days of the communist Soviet Union. The book is a detailed documentary of the damage done to the proper workings of government by this Republican administration, causing the resignations of innumerable highly qualified people. It should be a revelation to moderate Republicans as to how true conservative principles have been compromised by the Bush administration.

a first-rate book

This book looks at the ways that the Bush Administration has systematically misled the American public on policy matters by ignoring, suppressing or distorting scientific research. Politics has always been a part of science on the federal level, and a healthy debate on science is welcomed, but, according to many current and former government scientists, the climate has never been as bad as during the Bush Administration. Abstinence and the use of contraceptives have been shown to be very effective in reducing national rates of teen pregnancy and HIV infection. But, abstinence alone (the Bush Administration policy) is close to worthless as an anti-HIV and anti-pregnancy policy. As Chief of Staff of the Council on Environmental Quality, Philip Cooney rewrote many government reports to make it sound like there was great disagreement about global warming in the scientific community, when such disagreement did not exist. His qualifications included being a lawyer for the American Petroleum Institute. Other Bush Administration strategies include appointing partisans, who consider ideology more important than science, to second- and third-level positions (where the real work is done) and using political litmus tests. If a scientist is not sufficiently loyal to the Administration, or was part of a full-page newspaper ad critical of the Administration, they could forget about being appointed to any federal advisory board or commission, regardless of their professional qualifications. This first-rate book also looks at the manipulation and cherry picking of Iraqi intelligence, Bush's "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests" policies, stem cells and "intelligent design." This easy-to-read expose is not partisan, and is a worthy addition to what seems to be the growing list of books critical of the Bush Administration.

The Difference Between Science and Political Policy

The author starts the book with an analysis of the difference between science and political policy. Of course, science creates facts that are proven through testing and then reviewed for accuracy through peer review. And, political policy is what you do after you know what the science of the issue is. You can adjust public policy based on fact, but you cannot change fact to fit with public policy...or can you? In the book, the author demonstrates the Bush administrations total disdain for science and its results. From global warming to Pacific salmon to coal mining and many others examples, the author shows how this administration makes its public policy first and then figures a way to make the science fit the facts. This may mean firing scientists who will not produce the result you want, or placing mid level political appointees in office to bury reports in desks so they will never see the light of day. The author shows, time and again, how this is done and why. It appears there are many reasons for Bush's hatred for the scientific community, but the most prevalent seems to be that they might interfere with the profit making potential of big donors. In addition, Bush seems to use his "Christianity" to make policy and discredit the science that doesn't fit neatly into his view of the world. If this book were written by a hard left writer, it could be dismissed as the ranting of someone with a hatred for Bush. Sadly, the book is heavily endnoted and each item is backed up by numerous sources. Do not let the name "Science" in the book turn you off. It is extremely well written and is a generally easy read. The science portion is written for anyone to understand and the arguments presented are clear and straightforward. This book is a must read for anyone who cares about what is happening in Washington and should be a primer in what not to do with science in college courses.

Many examples gathered together

This book covers the many instances in which the current administration has appointed a non-scientist (or scientist with questionable credentials) into a position of power to skew and alter scientific data. The author was approached by the Union of Concerned Scientists to document the problem, and this book is a collection of his data. At first glimpse, I remember the original articles and complaints. Part of me wished that this problem would correct itself. As the book demonstrates, and as I see in the news, this problem is still with us. One good example is the problem of global warming. As I read, I thought at times that this seemed one-sided. After looking at the copious amount of citations and documents to back up the claims, I was appalled that this sort of falsification of scientific data, which is relied on by all citizens, would continue without remorse. I believe that everyone should read this book. We need to be aware of what is happening and speak up to prevent this from damaging our scientific integrity.

Bush Doesn't Do Nuance OR Science

In 2001, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) contacted Shulman to investigate purposeful mishandling of scientific information by the Bush administration. His report, "Restoring Scientific Integrity in Policy Making," served as the basis for UCS's assessment that Bush and his group were relegating science to the broom closet whenever it disagreed with the Republican agenda. The statement was eventually signed by over 8,000 reputable US scientists, many of international stature. This book expands upon that report, documenting Bush's systematic and widespread censorship and distortion of science throughout the government. Key agenda items (among scores of others) for Bush have been squelching stem cell research, denying condom use in AIDS prevention, protecting industry from the EPA, protecting the anti-abortion movement, protecting industry from global warming advocates, and selectively promoting his own religious faith. To accomplish its purposes, the Bush administration has: *used political litmus tests in selecting administrators for science-based agencies, federal advisory committees, and appointees throughout the government, many subsequent appointees being unqualified. *routinely tried to shelve, censor, or change scientific gov't reports that conflict with administrative policy. *allowed private industry to participate in and even dictate outcomes of gov't policy-making. Shulman provides dozens of examples with careful documentation. In order to achieve these goals without legislation, here are a few of Bush's administrative rule changes for the handling of scientific and technical information by the federal government: *They limit what questions gov't staff or scientists are allowed to ask. *They put constraints on methods available for seeking answers. *They restrict selection of who is allowed to ask questions, seek answers, or give advice in gov't agencies. *They suppress findings strictly because they conflict with administrative policy. *They sanction misleading and unjustified claims simply because they bolster claims that are "approved of" by the administration. *They routinely place ideological, rigid, non-scientist supervisors in charge of gov't scientific research programs. *They have a chilling effect on the scientific community by exacting retribution, including dismissal, against scientists who ask unapproved questions or produce unapproved results. The trend to misuse or avoid input from science appears to have started about thirty years ago when political lobbies began to gain a foothold in Washington. Gradually, [lobbyist-lubricated] legislative changes have taken the teeth out of the ability of some of our controlling agencies to even operate. With these safeguards removed, perhaps another administration of either party would have realized their opportunity and taken advantage - however previous administrations have never had as many agenda items so unfriendly to the findings of mainstream science