-B.
This last week:
VIRTUAL STATES: THERE WAS ONLY ROOM FOR ONE BIG CONTROVERSY.
Unlike most State of the Union addresses, the President made no attempt to touch on all the critical issues the nation must deal with this year. With the exception of health care, the speech was devoted to Iraq and related terrorism issues. Coming out of a congressional election dominated by the Iraq War, that may be understandable. But here are a few terms a scientist might be inclined to search for in the speech and would not find: Basic research, which faces a severe funding crisis, failed to make the cut. Neither was the stem cell controversy, which pits religious fundamentalism against basic human compassion, touched on. Nor was the space program, which has evolved into a sort of pointless reality show adventure. Climate change and global warming, the major threats to civilization, warranted a bare mention. And finally, whatever happened to missile defense?
TATES IN THE CORN BELT: THE AMERICAN ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL.
"It's in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply," the President said, "and the way forward is through technology." He's absolutely right, as long as we choose the right technologies. You may recall his 2003 State of the Union speech; he assured us that Freedom Car, "powered by hydrogen and pollution free," is the answer. This year he did not mention hydrogen. Hydrogen is dead. Last year Bush lamented America's addiction to oil, but the only thing that held down consumption was soaring prices. This year, Bush called for greater use of ethanol. Congressmen from the corn belt applauded wildly, but Mr. Bush didn't mention corn. Ethanol from corn is simply an agricultural subsidy. He was talking about making ethanol from switch grass and wood chips. Cellulosic ethanol has one big advantage: too little is known to say it can't work.