The Sunday Seattle Times reports that the U.S. Interior Department lied for months in  claiming no analysis had been made by them of the effect of greenhouse-gas emissions causing global warming which impacted polar bears. As recently as late December Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and other officials were claiming that the Department had not made an examination of the connection between global warming and shrinking sea ice, when they in fact had made such studies. Not only that, it was revealed the Department altered a 2005 study by NASA scientist James Hansen  who reported:

"the warming trend would change considerably if actions were taken soon enough to keep the atmospheric gases from increasing."

Since this was directly contrary to the administration position, this line was simply removed by Interior officials> Instead the following line, conforming to the Bush administration position on Arctic global warming, was substituted:

"There are few, if any processes that are capable of altering this trajectory."

The Times article says the original study, which the Interior Department concealed, cited several other studies which also found greenhouse-gas emissions impact global warming and that cutting back carbon dioxide would slow the pace of Arctic warming which contradicted the Bush administration claims. The article quotes Kieran Suckling, policy director for the Center for Biological Diversity as saying:

"At every single turn, the administration has suppressed science on polar bears and global warming, so while this is incredibly disappointing, it is not surprising."

Nor is this is not the first time the Bush administration has acted dishonestly about the issue of Artic global warming and polar bear extinction.(See post 3/9/07) Altering scientific reports, pressuring scientists to ignore scientific findings contrary to administration positions and concealing scientific evidence has been the common practice of this administration. This dishonorable lying and dishonesty is typical of the Bush/Cheney/Rove approach of how they conduct government affairs. Their attitude is, the science contradicts our position? Change the report or conceal it exists. A government scientist contradicts our official position on the issue? Threaten him with loss of job if he doesn’t shut up. Rove’s e-mails reveal he has been lying about his role in firing the U.S. Attorneys? Delete the e-mails and tell the public they were "lost." Whatever it takes, because  we believe the ends justify the means since we know what’s best for America and the hell with the truth. This attitude permeates all of the regulatory agencies of the administration who adopt the same kind of dishonest conduct. Political expediency is its motto. Lies, doublespeak and dishonesty are the tools of this administration’s political agenda.