Kerry Says Bush Playing Politics with Climate Science is “George Orwell at it’s Best”

[kerrygoddess]

Kerry Says Bush Playing Politics with Climate Science is “George Orwell at it’s Best”

February 8th, 2007 @ 12:46 am

John Kerry blasted the Bush Administration on Wednesday at a Senate hearing on Climate Research and Scientific Integrity, for their deliberate actions to hide information on climate change, their failure to produce a plan to reverse it and their efforts to alter scientific research to cover its inaction, calling it “George Orwell at its best.”

Kerry said the failure of the Bush Administration to complete a required “National Assessment” on the state of global warming, despite a federal law that requires such an analysis every four years - “unacceptable.” During the questioning, Kerry noted that records show that several climate reports have been altered or suppressed to reflect political bias – not solid science.

The Dow Jones Newswires reports:

The Commerce Committee’s criticism Wednesday was bipartisan and at times scathing, with Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., calling the Administration’s “flat- earth approach to climate policy … one of the most serious derelictions of administrative responsibilities … and potentially inviting the possibility of global catastrophe.”

Kerry berated the only current Administration official to appear before the committee, Acting Director of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program William Brennan, saying not only did the Bush Administration “willfully quash the communication of climate change science,” but had no plan to adequately cut emissions to levels recommended by a recent United Nations report. An invited senior official from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, an agency accused by committee witnesses of suppressing data and information, declined to appear.

“You’re not doing your job and the administration is not doing its job,” Kerry told Brennan.

Brennan, who was repeatedly interrupted by the Kerry, echoed Administration arguments that it had “devoted $29 billion to climate-related science, technology, international assistance and incentive programs” since 2001. He didn’t elaborate on spending details.

Noting the Bush administration propensity for cover-ups Kerry said, “The pattern in this White House has been to deny the threat of global warming and when that didn’t work, they tried to hide it from the rest of us. President Bush came into office downplaying the science behind global warming and if he gets credit for anything at all, it’s that he’s been consistent in using the power of his office to minimize, ostracize and criticize the agencies and other governments that are working to raise awareness of global warming. It’s a disgrace and I am glad to call him on it.”

Senator Kerry’s opening statement from today’s hearing is included below:

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