Foolish Planetariums

Science Debate 2008 has asked Senators Barack Obama and John McCain to answer 14 top science questions facing America today. The theory is that we are living in a science dominated world and we should know where the candidates stand on science issues – a topic not usually covered by the press. Obama sent in his answers a couple of weeks ago and McCain’s appeared today. A side-by-side comparison of the candidate's replies can be found here. However, perhaps a set of prepared responses to a set of prepared questions is not the most telling way to judge a candidate’s stance on science issues - or any other issue for that matter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the folks at Science Debate 2008 have set up the questionnaire and am pleased that both candidates took it seriously enough to provide answers. But, perhaps the most telling glimpse into a ...