Politics Trumping Science

The WaPo's got a should-read piece today offering up a few more examples of Bush-appointed folks in the Interior Department refusing to listen to the advice of career scientists and specialists in making recommendations for designations of threatened or endangered species. "Staff complaints that their scientific findings were frequently overruled or disparaged at the behest of landowners or industry have led the agency's inspector general to look into the role of Julie MacDonald, who has been deputy assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks since 2004, in decisions on protecting endangered species."