Techfun

From: US renews call for science debate- (free physicsworld.com account may be needed)

Will they agree to discuss science?

Scientists in the US have sent out a fresh call for the three main US presidential candidates to take part in a public debate on science.

Organizers of ScienceDebate 2008, a petition for a science debate that has so far been signed by some 37,000 people, had invited the candidates to a debate on Friday 18 April in Philadelphia, but were forced to cancel last week because of a poor response. Barack Obama, one of the two Democratic candidates, declined to attend, while both Hillary Clinton, the other Democratic candidate, and John McCain, the stronger Republican candidate, gave no reply.

The candidates have now been sent new invitations for a debate in Oregon for three possible dates in early May.

I am glad to see that ScienceDebate 2008 has not given up hope. I wish I could say I thought they had any chance for successfully getting the candidates to address Science and Technology Policy but in the USA – at this time – this would be a way to dredge up wedge issues that look to be less important than they were in 2000 and 2004.

You can read the second invitation here. but the most important part, to me, was the second to last paragraph, in its entirety.

This is not a science quiz; it is intended as a serious policy debate about several major issues Americans are concerned with that fall along this theme, including climate change, economic competitiveness in the new global knowledge economy, energy security and sustainability, health and medicine, science education, and other related issues. We will give all confirmed candidates a copy of the anticipated questions five days in advance so that you may prepare. These are some of the most important challenges the next president is going to be facing, and we would hope that your candidate has plans for tackling them already. The voters are highly interested to see what they are, and how your candidate differs, or does not differ, from the others.

From the ScienceDebate 2008 site:

Is America Losing its Competitive Edge? A Presidential Debate on Science and America’s Future
“Given the many urgent scientific and technological challenges facing America and the rest of the world, the increasing need for accurate scientific information in political decision making, and the vital role scientific innovation plays in spurring economic growth and competitiveness, we call for a public debate in which the U.S. presidential candidates share their views on the issues of The Environment, Health and Medicine, and Science and Technology Policy.”

This is all true and very important, but we are coming out of 8 years of the Bush Administration’s very selective and downright dishonest approach to science and the scientific community and I don’t think John McCain, or the Democratic candidates want to be on the record as the people who answer questions that are certainly going to be geared towards pointing that out that fact.