Bush’s political appointees? Overriding scientists for political purposes? You don’t say.
A senior Bush political appointee at the Interior Department has rejected staff scientists’ recommendations to protect imperiled animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act at least six times in the past three years, documents show.
In addition, staff complaints that their scientific findings were frequently overruled or disparaged at the behest of landowners or industry have led the agency’s inspector general to look into the role of Julie MacDonald, who has been deputy assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks since 2004, in decisions on protecting endangered species.
It is, unfortunately, a familiar tale. Career officials and scientists urged the Interior Department to base decisions on evidence and empirical research; a Bush political appointee ignored the staff reports and followed the advice of industry interests.
What struck me as slightly different about this instance was that MacDonald was, well, mean. According to the WaPo, she not only overruled scientists’ conclusions, she “mocked rank-and-file employees’ recommendations.”
First, where does the Bush gang find these people for influential government posts?
Second, I’ve completely lost count of how many times Bush appointees have taken credible scientific research and disregarded it for political purposes. Plan B emergency contraception, stem-cell research, global warming … I sometimes get the impression that the Bush gang reflexively believes, “If a scientist can prove it, we don’t like it.”