Ten days ago, I posted a column listing 12 Things The Next President Must Say. One of them was:
I will trust scientists. Since I am not a scientist and have no training in the field, when the scientific community reaches a peer-reviewed consensus, I will accept it. I will not allow anti-scientific dogma and pseudo-science to be funded or supported in any way by my administration.
Recently, Nature magazine asked the presidential candidates a series of questions about science policy, including:
Many scientists are bitter about what they see as years of political interference in scientific decisions at federal agencies. What would you do to help restore impartial scientific advice in government?
McCain’s campaign declined to answer the questions, but here’s what Obama said:
Scientific and technological information is of growing importance to a range of issues. I believe such information must be expert and uncoloured by ideology. I will restore the basic principle that government decisions should be based on the best-available, scientifically valid evidence and not on the ideological predispositions of agency officials or political appointees.
Sounds right to me.
Read his answers to all 18 questions here.