White House Delays ...

[marginlized]

"The Obama administration issued long-awaited, long-delayed guidelines on Friday to insulate government scientific research from political meddling and to base policy decisions on solid data."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/18/science/18research.html?ref=us

Why such a wait for what are considered "minimum standards" that don't really address issues or resolve responsibilities?
"I don’t like the ambiguities," Dr. Grifo said.

This sounds like more of this Administration's bipartisan compromises. Too little too late.

[OregonBlue]

1. Some people are never happy. He ISSUED the long-awaited guidlines. So why are you

BLAMING Obama.

[sharp_stick]

2. Too little too late huh

perhaps you preferred the previous complete lack of guidelines from shrubbo but those of us that actually do science are fucking glad that there is at least a fucking guideline in place now. The Obama administration started to back off the politics as soon as they walked into the White House, no more admin lackeys "editing" NIH grants for example. Actually getting rules in place so it can't be fucked up two days after the next puke that manages to worm his way into the White House probably wasn't that easy.

"Dr. Holdren told a House panel in February that the process took longer than expected because of “the difficulties of constructing a set of guidelines that would be applicable across all the agencies and accepted by all concerned.”

Shrubbo and his fucking minions damned near destroyed scientific integrity in this country and any changes are welcome. If you can do better feel free point out some guidelines that should be instituted and how that were not. Cherry pick lines from the story all you want even the guy you picked in your stubby little quote thinks it's a decent start.

"Francesca T. Grifo, director of the scientific integrity program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, praised the guidelines but cautioned, “A lot of the details are left to the agencies.”

More than happy to unrec.

[Igel]

3. I'll be cynical and say it.

This was a big deal a few weeks ago in the press. The quickie "transparency" guidelines were held up in gestation and this was a bit of a "he didn't keep his promise." Esp. when a scientist, IIRC, said that the Obama admin. was doing the same thing (albeit differently) as the * admin.

A few weeks later--which is to say, "immediately" it bureaucrat-time--this is released. It's panned because it says little and prevents little. It's a case of being prodded to do something that Obama was keen for the administration to do, when it was a useful weapon to help them; now that it's no longer a help, the administration probably finds that it limits their discretion and control. Few bureaucrats and few presidents (or politicians) actually like having their power, prestige, and control lessened.

In other word, it's not a bipartisan compromise. There isn't another "partisan" there to compromise with.

I saw an interesting poster yesterday: The man who's rowing is not apt to rock the boat. On the one hand, he's too busy rowing to bother with rocking; on the other, he is the one interested in its course and progress and only stands to lose control and time if there's enough rocking.

I'd note Obama's first pardons were issued a few weeks after it was pointed out that the trend in presidential pardons was to issue fewer, later--and that Obama was later than any other (D) president and coming danged close to being later than any (R) president. So out pop < 12 presidential pardons, all for fairly minor things, some with the sentence of probation, for actions committed anywhere from 8 years ago to nearly 50 years ago.