The Daily Sandwich

"We have to learn the lesson that intellectual honesty is fundamental for everything we cherish." -Sir Karl Popper

Name:
Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

...........................

Monday, April 04, 2005

Science Monday. Sort of.

It's been a while since I borrowed from physicist Robert Park's always-ineteresting newsletter. This item isn't terribly scientific, but I always admire him for his ability to be concise. I'm not so good about that. If you haven't subscribed to his free weekly newsletter, you really should. From the April 1 installment:

AMBIGUITY?: "..DEAD WRONG ON ALMOST ALL PRE-WAR JUDGMENTS.."
The President's Commission on Intelligence Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction released its report yesterday. The media have described it as "scathing." It wasn't. The cover letter explained that intelligence professionals didn't fudge the data, they really believed what they said. "They were simply wrong."
Like that's OK? The President, appearing with the co-chairs at a press conference, seemed pleased, even though in principle he's responsible for anything that went on during his watch. Whether someone at the White House should have asked a few hard questions wasn't in the Commission's charge. Besides, the President fired CIA Director George Tenet, who said the question of WMDs was a "slam-dunk." That was before Tenet was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

To subscribe to Park's newsletter, send a blank e-mail to: <join-whatsnew@lists.apsmsgs.org>