We haven’t persuaded the candidates to discuss science policy, though it directly affects health care policy, the war in Iraq, climate change, and housing. That scrappy little newspaper in York, Pennsylvania got Barack Obama to go on the record against teaching intelligent design, though.
Q: York County was recently in the news for a lawsuit involving the teaching of intelligent design. What’s your attitude regarding the teaching of evolution in public schools?
A: “I’m a Christian, and I believe in parents being able to provide children with religious instruction without interference from the state.
But I also believe our schools are there to teach worldly knowledge and science. I believe in evolution, and I believe there’s a difference between science and faith. That doesn’t make faith any less important than science.
It just means they’re two different things. And I think it’s a mistake to try to cloud the teaching of science with theories that frankly don’t hold up to scientific inquiry.”
Has either Clinton or McCain gone on the record on the issue yet?
Tip of the old scrub brush to the blogs of the Dallas Morning News.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
That was a great answer on Obama’s part. He’s just all sorts of logical.
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Yeah, but he’s wildly conservative on other things (bombing Iran). Don’t let his few areas of moderacy convince you he’s a centrist maverick.
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Never will understand how “the hand of God” is somehow more beautiful than millions of years of erosion.
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McCain is more of a theistic evolution guy right? I recall him saying in one of the debates that when he sees a beautiful sunset in the Grand Canyon, “I know the hand of God is there.”
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Ed,
I don’t have the transcript, but he also gently but effectively dealt with the “do you think the universe was created in six days” question. As Paul said, strange world.
So far, McCain has affirmed that he believes in evolution. For a GOP candidate (sad to say) this is a big deal.
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I was pleased to hear Obama speak about science at the faith debate.
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It’s a strange world in which it is controversial to teach the best available theory for explaining the diversity of species. I certainly hope Obama picks up more votes than he looses for his stand.
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