"...and a pony."

Chad Orzel, Physicist!^™ was changing the oil in his backyard cyclotron Tuesday nite and missed the State of the Union. Luckily, some pals watched and told him, "Science is back!" Why is he so sceptical?

The main reason why I didn't watch the speech to hear what Bush would say about science policy is that it doesn't matter what he says. This administration doesn't do policy, they do politics. If Bush says something in a speech, it's because they think it will sound good in a speech, period. That doesn't mean there's a concrete proposal in the works-- if the line in he speech is poorly received, odds are it will disappear without a trace. And even if the line sounds good, that doesn't mean there will be any follow-through-- ask the people of New York, Afghanistan, Iraq, and New Orleans about that.

So, yeah, "double the federal commitment to the most critical basic research programs in the physical sciences over the next 10 years" sounds great. So does "If we reverse the polarity on the flux capacitor, we can generate an infinite amount of free energy, and a pony." I'll believe it when I see the pony.

Chad, Chad. That's pre-9/11 thinking. Close your eyes. Make a wish. Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination. Ahhh... Ponies!

ARTHUR: ...We have ridden the length and breadth of the land...

SOLDIER: What? Ridden on a horse?

ARTHUR: Yes!

SOLDIER: You're using coconuts!

(h/t brad delong; nag rustled from Justin's very OK Corral)