CDC claims ‘executive privilege’ over global warming testimony

November 8, 2007

A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified before a Senate panel yesterday on the impact of climate change on public health, but the White House altered her testimony before it was delivered. References to potential health risks were removed; one CDC official said Gerberding’s draft “was eviscerated”; and details on how many people might be adversely affected because of increased warming were deleted.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calf.) wants to know what happened. The Bush gang doesn’t care.

Last week, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) wrote to President Bush “requesting a full accounting of what occurred during that review process.” Appearing on MSNBC [yesterday], Boxer said the administration has stonewalled her efforts, claiming executive privilege:

“Many pages of it were redacted… And by the way, we wrote the President. He gave our letter to Fred Fielding, the chief counsel over there, his counsel, who said ‘executive privilege, I don’t have to tell you what she wrote.’ … So yes, I think they are hiding this. I think they are hiding a lot of things. It’s their way, it’s their habit, it’s wrong.”

As of last week, the White House counsel’s office claimed that “the request by its very nature seeks communications involving pre-decisional deliberative materials relating to an inter-agency review process … it is clear that the request implicates core Executive Branch interests and raises separation of powers concerns.”

In other words, the White House wanted to cover up Gerberding’s testimony last month, and cover up the editing of Gerberding’s testimony this month.

Here’s a crazy idea: why not invite Gerberding back to the same committee, giving her another chance to specifically talk about the public health dangers associated with global warming? Would the White House “eviscerate” the testimony twice?

According to the Bush gang, of course, they simply wanted Gerberding to look at the silver lining of climate change. Remember this gem?

PERINO: I haven’t seen the specific edits…. As I understand it, in the draft there was broad characterizations about climate-change science that didn’t align with the IPCC. And we have experts and scientists across this administration that can take a look at that testimony and say, “This is an error,” or, “This doesn’t make sense.” And so the decision was made on behalf of CDC to focus that testimony on public health benefits.

Well, there are public health benefits to climate change, as well, both benefits and concerns, that someone line Dr. Gerberding, who is the expert in the field, could address. And so that’s the testimony she provided yesterday… (emphasis added)

OK, so the CDC director talked about the “good” parts of global warming the last time. How about another hearing for the flip side? Would the White House stifle Gerberding again?

Just how far will Bush push his war on science?

As I’ve watched Ms. Perino lately, the only words that come to my mouth are LaLaLa, Nice Lady! This whole WH team is nuts! -Kevo

  • Just how far will Bush push his war on science?

    That’s an empirical question unanswerable with biblical quotes.

    It’s a new version of the old “if a tree tell in the forest ….” conundrum. If an empirical question is asked and the only ones listening are Republicans or journalists or the Democratic leadership….

  • everything is always a state secret with them! if you asked them what the weather was they’d claim executive privilege!

  • Until the Dems grow a spine and stand up to one of these claims, by more than just the issuance of sternly worded letters, I see no reason why the White House should stop making such privilege claims for anything and everything (hey, how did that tough guy Leahy do with his careful investigation and tough letters?? I remember being told he was careful, deliberate, skilled and would see things through to prosecution…).

  • Why doesn’t Congress claim “Congressional privilege”, ignore Bush’s attempts to block the truth, and insist that she return and tell “the rest of the story”?

  • you have to give the white house credit though… At least it’s ‘only’ executive privilege’ instead of ‘disclosure would jeopardize our war on terror strategy’ .. or.. ‘talking about that it would aid the terrorists who are listening to everything we say’ .. or.. ‘it’s a state secret because global warming has always been part of our strategy to eradicate islamofascists.’

    🙂

  • War on science? More like a Global War On Truth.

    “…So yes, I think they are hiding this. I think they are hiding a lot of things. It’s their way, it’s their habit, it’s wrong.”

    We may never know the depths of deceit that have shrouded the Bush Laden Cabal in darkness for the last seven years, but We, The People, deserve to know the truth.

    To quote Patrick Henry, “We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth… For my part, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst; and to provide for it.”

  • I think the WH press corps should all show up in headphones for the next daily briefing, press conference or speech, and when whoever is at the podium asks what it’s all about, is informed that they are receiving the reality-based translation of the administration’s remarks. You know, like when Perino says,

    “As I understand it, in the draft there was broad characterizations about climate-change science that didn’t align with the IPCC. And we have experts and scientists across this administration that can take a look at that testimony and say, “This is an error,” or, “This doesn’t make sense.” And so the decision was made on behalf of CDC to focus that testimony on public health benefits,”

    what the press corps would hear– and what the public would see via a “crawl” at the bottom of the screen,” would be

    “We don’t believe there is such a thing as climate change, but it there is, we want to stress the benefits, so that all our corporate buddies won’t be nagged again about doing anything about it, because that would eat into profits, and we just can’t have that.”

    We’re all doing it for ourselves anyway, aren’t we? If they can have people signing the remarks for the deaf, why can’t we have UN-style translations for everyone else?

  • Is it impossible for Boxer to simply request an un-redacted copy of the report? After all, the report was created by a government agency using public funds. It is in no way the sole property of the Bush administration.

    Of course the administration would make the convoluted claim that comparing the two versions would somehow shed light on Administration deliberations but, that would be a serious reach even for this crowd.

  • Dennis makes a good point. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t stop them from making that claim anyway.

    How about a brave sole in the CDC office ‘leaking’ the un-redacted version.

  • This really should be made into a huge issue by the Democrats. About 70% of Americans are aware of global warming and concerned about it, and this is a blatant attempt to yet again shove it under a rug. Anyone with children can see how stupid and dangerous this is, and since Democrats already have a huge advantage on the issue it should be a no-brainer to make it into a battering ram to finally take down the corporation-owned Republican party.

    But of course the Dimocraps will play the invertibrates in the kabuki dance. You watch.

  • But of course the Dimocraps will play the invertibrates in the kabuki dance. You watch.

    Look for Harry Reid to offer an apology for requesting straight information on something that affects the health and welfare of us all.

  • “Look for Harry Reid to offer an apology for requesting straight information on something that affects the health and welfare of us all.”

    No kidding. I have been thinking about changing my one dog’s name to Pelosi-Reid, because she is the only creature that rolls over as much as this Dem Congress.

  • Science and the White House Soviet Apparatchiki
    .
    Below is my take on the report that the White House eviscerated the draft of Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prior to her testifying before a Senate panel yesterday on the impact of climate change on public health. References to potential health risks were removed; one CDC official said, and details on how many people might be adversely affected because of global warming were deleted.

    In reference to the nature of the persons who now control what we may hear from government employed experts in various fields I offer the Wikipedia definition for apparatchik.

    —Members of the “apparat” were frequently transferred between different areas of responsibility, usually with little or no actual training for their new areas of responsibility. Thus, the term apparatchik, or “agent of the apparatus” was usually the best possible description of the person’s profession and occupation.

    The term was usually associated with a specific (political or social) mindset, attitude and appearance of the person; when used by “outsiders”, it often bore derogatory connotations.

    It is also frequently used to describe individuals appointed to positions in any government on the basis of ideological or political loyalty rather than competence.—

    In America, previously the land of the free and the brave, science is now vetted by political apparatchiks, health care, military matters, economic matters and child welfare, ditto. We have a functioning secret police apparatus via electronic spying and recording. Connect the dots and call it what it is.

    We are living under an unfolding Soviet style form of government.

    Craig Johnson – cognitorex

    Labels: apparatchik, commissariat, science eviscerated, soviet

  • George W. Bush is “the Terrorist within.” Maybe—just maybe, mind you, we ought to start concentrating on this wonderful Bushism:

    We’re fighting them over there, so we don’t have to fight them over here.”

    Now, put this little tidbit through the Translate-O-Meter, and turn the dial to a “from-Bushese-to-English” selection.

    Bells ring, whistles blow, and something eerily similar to a dive klaxon on an old German U-boat begins to blare. Lights flash. Your dog runs up a tree like a cat—and you don’t even own a dog.

    With a quick little beep-beep-beep, your sought-after translation comes out—completely unredacted. It reads:

    “We will focus of fighting a nonexistent enemy over there, so you don’t see the real terrorist over here who’s raping the Constitution and emptying out the Treasury.”

  • It’s easy for us to suggest that someone in the CDC leak the original text. But If anyone in the CDC has the courage to leak it, they will be hounded out of their job and slandered so badly that another job in their field will be hard to find. Check out the fate of other whistle blowers. Fear of retaliation keeps good people silent. It’s how vicious regimes stay in power.

  • Jen,

    Oh, I can think of ways that would work in a novel, at least. Somebody could just leave a copy of the original in a garbage can far away from the CDC for an enterprising reporter to find. Then the reporter makes a copy of it and destroys the original to avoid fingerprint or paper tracing…

    Just my imaginative patriotism at work, you see?

  • At some point we have to step back and look at the broader question: why aren’t the Democrats doing their job as the loyal opposition? It’s become clear that they are not, and that the White House can do whatever it wants, flagrantly, with utter contempt, with in-your-face politics, and the Democrats simply cower and whimper.

    It’s pervasive. It’s everywhere. It’s with virtually every issue. The question is why. Why won’t the Democrats stand up? Why won’t they do the people’s business? Have they been corrupted to nearly the same extent as the Republicans by big business and special interests? If not, what the hell is going on?

    We’re not being served by this Congress, and we’re not going to be. We’re just banging our heads against the wall in frustration. And we seem to be the only ones aware that something is wrong.

    There was a short segment on Chris Matthews yesterday, with Eugene Robinson and another pundit or two, on the subject of why Bush’s disapproval rating is so high. They seemed utterly clueless. The idea that Bush is truly a horrible president seemed as far away from their collective consciousness as the moon. They simply can’t get it. They don’t see anything extraordinary about this administration. “War weary,” was the best they could come up with, as if the American people haven’t the fortitude to withstand it.

    That’s not the same issue as why the Democrats are so horrible, but it’s the other side of the coin. We have a government that is totally dysfunctional now, but nobody seems to realize it except a few of us crazy leftist loonies.

    So maybe there’s no problem at all but us, that a change of attitude won’t fix.

    Okay. Everything is hunky-dory. Sing along with me.

  • Hark (#18): Have [the Democrats] been corrupted to nearly the same extent as the Republicans by big business and special interests?

    Yes.

    When Pelosi says she’s taken impeachment off the table because the Democrats have more important things to accomplish, realize that “more important things” refers to finding the bribes the corporate lobbyists will offer their coffers for their own next election.

    The rest of us don’t even exist from the point of view of Pelosi and her ilk.

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