Boehner Requires Committee Members to Disagree With Mainstream Science View

23 March 2007

It appears that Congressman John Boehner (R-OH) made global warming denial a requirement for Republicans seeking appointment to the House global warming committee. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) was apparently not appointed by Boehner precisely for this reason:

"I said, 'John, I can't do that,' " Gilchrest, R-1st-Md., said in an interview. "He said, 'Come on. Do me a favor. I want to help you here.'"

Rep. Roscoe Bartlet (R-MD), a research scientist, was also not appointed. Neither was Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) the first research physicist to serve in Congress.

Instead of appointing actual scientists, or people who refused to take such a stance against the majority of the scientific community, Boehner ultimately chose James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) as the ranking Republican member. Sensenbrenner, who apparently doesn't understand the difference between the words "eminent" and "imminent", made the following statement in a press release:
"Recent fluctuations in the Earth’s climates and temperatures have led to numerous sensational headlines describing an eminent doomsday scenario."

Boehner appears very happy with this appointment:
“I cannot think of a more qualified individual to tackle this complex subject matter and help the Congress craft common sense solutions to this challenge.”

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