Live from the Biggest Science Conference in the World: Hillary and Barack Debate Science

Alas, in a big election year, even an international science conference isn't safe from politics. Representatives from the Clinton and Obama campaigns were here to debate their candidates' takes on various scientific issues (McCain and Huckabee were also invited, but declined). The debate took place in response to the many esteemed scientists, governmental leaders, educators, and writers at "Science Debate 2008" who have voiced a demand for a presidential debate on science and technology. The group has officially invited the candidates to debate in April, but AAAS wanted to host an exclusive preview for the journalists and scientists at this conference. So how do the democratic frontrunners feel about the issues in science and technology? Not surprisingly, they agree on pretty much every issue. Neither rep presented any issue that was very contentious or new. The take-home message from both campaigns was a generally warm fuzzy thumbs up for science. ...