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measure our successes."
So, from where did the lack of consensus come? According to Ed Hunt of TidePool.org, "EPA staffers were so embarrassed by the way the Bush Administration had censored references to key climate science that they decided to drop the section altogether. After [edits made by the CEQ], it 'no longer accurately represents scientific consensus on climate change,' EPA staffers said."
So two of Luntz' key points have been employed: recommend more research because there isn't a consensus and find some scientists to make that point.
Of course, Frank Luntz knows perfectly well that there is very strong evidence that global warming is indeed a problem, but he recommends that Republicans dispute that fact:
The scientific debate is closing [against us] but not yet closed. There is still a window of opportunity to challenge the science. … However, only a handful of people believe the science of global warming is a closed question. Most Americans want more information so that they can make an informed decision. It is our job to provide that information.
The Times confirms that the professional scientists at the EPA were unhappy: "Another memorandum circulated [in late April] said that the easiest course would be to accept the White House revisions but that to do so would taint the agency, because 'E.P.A. will take responsibility and severe criticism from the science and environmental communities for poorly representing the science.'" (Emphasis added)
One of the more ironic aspects of this redaction is how the White House insists that the evidence for global warming be rock solid before we can act. Would only they require as much concrete evidence before deciding to preemptively start a war against Iraq. Both cases show a predilection to ignore actual evidence because it interferes with the goal they have set. But just as people warned that the aftermath of the war in Iraq would be much more problematic than for what they were preparing, global warming is not something you can ignore forever. Once more the Bush policy is to let our children and grandchildren pay for their failure to consider the consequences of their policies for the future.
For more information on the topic of Global Warming, check out the information provided by the National Academy of Sciences (http://www4.nationalacademies.org/onpi/webextra.nsf/web/climate). And for now, you can find more at the EPA website (http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html).
Movie Recommendation: If you've ever thought about flying or what its like to be a bird, don't miss Jacques Perrin's spectacular Winged Migration. It is one of the most beautiful nature films I've ever experienced. And its definitely made for the big screen.
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