Obama's "Science" Fiction

Charles Krauthammer, an outspoken critic of President Bush's stem cell research policy, thoughtfully reviews President Obama's signing ceremony remarks in connection with the announcement about a new federal stem cell policy:

What an outrage. Bush's nationally televised stem cell speech was the most morally serious address on medical ethics ever given by an American president. It was so scrupulous in presenting the best case for both his view and the contrary view that until the last few minutes, the listener had no idea where Bush would come out.

Obama's address was morally unserious in the extreme. It was populated, as his didactic discourses always are, with a forest of straw men. Such as his admonition that we must resist the "false choice between sound science and moral values." Yet, exactly 2 minutes and 12 seconds later he went on to declare that he would never open the door to the "use of cloning for human reproduction."

Does he not think that a cloned human would be of extraordinary scientific interest? And yet he banned it.

Is he so obtuse as not to see that he had just made a choice of ethics over science? Yet, unlike Bush, who painstakingly explained the balance of ethical and scientific goods he was trying to achieve, Obama did not even pretend to make the case why some practices are morally permissible and others not.

This is not just intellectual laziness. It is the moral arrogance of a man who continuously dismisses his critics as ideological while he is guided exclusively by pragmatism (in economics, social policy, foreign policy) and science in medical ethics.

Science has everything to say about what is possible. Science has nothing to say about what is permissible. Obama's pretense that he will "restore science to its rightful place" and make science, not ideology, dispositive in moral debates is yet more rhetorical sleight of hand -- this time to abdicate decision-making and color his own ideological preferences as authentically "scientific."

Dr. James Thomson, the pioneer of embryonic stem cells, said "if human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough." Obama clearly has not.

Read the whole thing.

Obama's poll numbers are falling to earth

WSJ has the details.

The Debt Star

"That's no moon. That's the national debt!"

Tax hypocrites

Life is full of irony.

More Obama appointees bite the tax-cheating dust. He wants to raise ours, but he is surrounding himself with those who haven't paid theirs. Oops.

Obama's "graciousness deficit"

Some might wonder why a president who has enjoyed high approval ratings and has the luxury of being magnanimous, isn't.

Stock market since "stimulus" bill passed

Hmm.

Just follow the script...

Politico notices Obama goes nowhere without his teleprompter. For a supposedly polished orator, not very impressive.

"Everything's amazing, nobody's happy" -- Louis CK

I was "on a chair in the sky" yesterday -- and took a window seat after watching this.

Lot's of truth here.

"Big Bangs" and Budget Fraud

Krauthammer skewers the new budgeter-in-chief.

Buyer's remorse

High hopes for Obama's presidency already on the rocks. Alas.

David Brooks in the NYT:

"Those of us who consider ourselves moderates — moderate-conservative, in my case — are forced to confront the reality that Barack Obama is not who we thought he was. His words are responsible; his character is inspiring. But his actions betray a transformational liberalism that should put every centrist on notice."

Read the whole thing.