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No one better represents the idiot side of the Republican party than James Inhofe. His incessant lies, distortions and complete misrepresentation of climate change science places him alone in a special class of ignoramuses. Here’s his latest bit of insanity.
Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) today asked the Obama administration to investigate what he called “the greatest scientific scandal of our generation” — the actions of climate scientists revealed by the Climategate Files, and the subsequent admissions by the editors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4).
Senator Inhofe also called for former Vice President Al Gore to be called back to the Senate to testify.
“In [Gore's] science fiction movie, every assertion has been rebutted,” Inhofe said. He believes Vice President Gore should defend himself and his movie before Congress.
Just prior to a hearing at 10:00 a.m. EST, Senator Inhofe released a minority staff report from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, of which he is ranking member. Senator Inhofe is asking the Department of Justice to investigate whether there has been research misconduct or criminal actions by the scientists involved, including Dr. Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University and Dr. James Hansen of Columbia University and the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Science.
Real Climate does a nice job of dismissing the IPCC criticism with an approach that an Inhofe could never possibly ever understand. They use logic, truth and science.
Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who currently runs the Department of Energy, gives his thoughts on the matter.
“…the main findings of IPCC over the years, have they been seriously cast in doubt? No. I think that if one research group didn’t understand some tree ring data and they chose to admit part of that data. In all honesty they should have thrown out the whole data set. But science has a wonderful way of self-correcting on things like that. What the public doesn’t understand is that as you go forward there will be these things and they will self correct.”
[...]
“If you look at the climate skeptics, I would have to say honestly, what standard are they being held to? It’s very asymmetric. They get to say anything they want. In the end, the core of science is deeply self checking.”
Salon’s Andrew Leonard sums it up nicely.
At this point, you just to have to choose your reality. I will choose Steven Chu and endlessly self-checking, self-correcting science over James Inhofe every single day.
Yep. It’s really a simple case of science over stupidity.
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reminds me of that line, a mind is a terrible thing to lose. he has lost his..if he ever had one. and people want to know why our government is broken, just look at this guys antics. this is precisely why, people in this country are suffering and this is the best these clowns can do? this foolishness?
Awesome blog about James Mountain Inhofe. Unfortunately, he represents my state. I email him daily to end his 1 man army. No response yet. He appears to be relentless on this.
The only thing that scares scientists more than losing federal grants, is getting a federal jail cell. I think Inhofe is looking for whistle blowers.
If you read the news today, you will see that even global-warming-true-believers like Sen Boxer and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson have backed away from the IPCC. This is natural after the recent revelations that (a) the IPCC was making false claims, and (b) the IPCC knew that the claims were false while they were making them. This comes along with the revelations of falsifying/destroying records that have led one high-profile IPCC insider to resign in disgrace (Jones) while another is under investigation (Mann).
At this point, to defend the IPCC, one should do more than merely quote one political appointee (Chu).
“the core of science is deeply self checking.”
Yes, and that is why the IPCC is now in disgrace.
Brilliant, thanks Mario.
It never ceases to amaze me that people take Sen. Inhofe seriously, at face value, without realizing the only people he answers to are the gas and oil lobbyists in his home state !
Donating millions of dollars to his campaign and scaring everyone in the state of Oklahoma into believing they are the only holders of the states future. What this man is attempting to do is sickening.