I Love Cynics!

Reposting this lost book review

There is no doubt that the current administration will be known for its myriad failures. From Iraq to cronyism, Bush Jr.’s reign has been one of corruption and deceit. While the press seems to have done a fair, though not excellent, job reporting these infractions, there’s one that seems to have gone under the radar.

In Chris Mooney’s The The Republican War on Science, the Bush administration’s misuse, misrepresentation and anti-science bias is laid bare. He shows how from the beginning, George W. Bush has waged a war on science in such as way as to benefit private industry and theological base.

From stem cells to global warming, Mooney shows a systematic attempt by republicans from Gingrich to Bush to destroy the public’s trust academic science. With the war cry of “sound science” they promote industry friendly scientists, while silencing dissent within the agencies that are supposed to protect the general public.

Mooney’s work is well researched and written. From sources within the government, public record, media and scientists, he lays out a damning indictment of our current president’s abuse of science to promote a religious and industry friendly agenda.

I have one major gripe with the book. If you were to start reading it from the beginning, you’d never realize that there is an extensive section of page-by-page notes in the back. Utilizing neither footnotes nor endnotes, I didn’t realize this until I flipped through the book shortly after finishing the second chapter. These notes are excellent, providing additional information, sources and details that allow the reader to delve further into the topics covered. It’s a shame they were hidden and unreferenced in the body of the main text.

Otherwise, an excellent and easy to understand read, given the complex topics. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, liberal and conservative alike, who has a love of science and does not like seeing the direction the current administration has taken it.

Chris Mooney is journalist that has written for many publications, including The Washington Post, Slate, and Wired.