George Bush has certainly been anti-science, fighting the overwhelming opinion of the scientific community concerning global warming, and on many other fronts as well. Here’s an overview that mentions a scientist calling George Bush a prostitute — how’s that for fun? Bush has also sold out children, given the extreme problems with NCLB and the failure to renew SCHIP, one of the more popular programs of recent years (Karl Rove probably told Bush that kids don’t vote). But remember, Bush won his two elections for President. John McCain has already taken up George Bush’s failed policy in Iraq and in fighting Al Qaeda. Surely it is not surprising McCain would try to win the general election by adopting Bush’s anti-science and anti-child policies.

This story is about childhood vaccines, which, against scientific evidence, are being blamed for the increase in autism in this country, especially among those people who have always distrusted vaccines. The scientific community brought us vaccines in part to save the world from childhood disease. But that demographic that distrusts vaccines lines up pretty well with the demographic that distrusts science, that supports whack job right wing calls for creationism education, and that supports. . . George Bush. No, it is not surprising that John McCain is trying to appeal to these folks. He’s pandering again. Here it is from ABC News:

McCain said, per ABC News’ Bret Hovell, that “It’s indisputable that (autism) is on the rise amongst children, the question is what’s causing it. And we go back and forth and there’s strong evidence that indicates that it’s got to do with a preservative in vaccines.”

McCain said there’s “divided scientific opinion” on the matter, with “many on the other side that are credible scientists that are saying that’s not the cause of it.”

The established medical community is not as divided as McCain made it sound, however. Overwhelmingly the “credible scientists,” at least as the government and the medical establishment so ordain them, side against McCain’s view.

Moreover, those scientists and organizations fear that powerful people lending credence to the thimerosal theory could dissuade parents from getting their children immunized — which in their view would lead to a very real health crisis.

The Centers for Disease Control says “There is no convincing scientific evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics says”No scientific data link thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines with any pediatric neurologic disorder, including autism.”

The Food and Drug Administration conducted a review in 1999 — the year thimerosal was ordered to be removed from most vaccines — and said that it “found no evidence of harm from the use of thimerosal as a vaccine preservative, other than local hypersensitivity reactions.”

The Institute of Medicine’s Immunization Safety Review Committee concluded “that the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism.”

And a study of California Department of Developmental Services data published last month indicated that there was “an increase in autism in California despite the removal of thimerosal from most vaccines.”

Oh, there’s really not much controversy here. It is, of course, a tragedy that we’ve seen an increase in autism in this country, but the scientific community is nearly unanimous in denying that vaccines are among the causes for that increase. John McCain stands among the minority, but where kids are concerned, especially the kids of the Republican base that distrusts science, John McCain is willing to walk us backwards, throw us back to a time when kids died far more frequently, back to a time before childhood vaccines. John McCain’s judgment is suspect because of this pandering if it wasn’t already suspect because of McCain’s continued flip-flopping to support George Bush’s failed policies in Iraq. Failed policies concerning science and children are even worse for our country than are failed policies toward Iraq.

This will likely be the most commented story here at ASZ this week, because the supporters of this anti-science childhood policy are even more fervent than are the supporters of Ron Paul. I’m sure I’m insulting whatever intelligence remains with these people, but we can’t afford another President who puts winning the Presidency before caring for children.