Friday, December 30, 2005
Wiggle Room
Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pa, is locked in a tight re-election race with Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., a Democrat. Currently, Santorum, the incumbent, trails Casey by 12 points in public opinion polls.
In a 2002 newspaper op-ed piece, Santorum called intelligent design "a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes."
"But the day after a federal judge ruled the Dover, Pa., school board's policy on intelligent design unconstitutional, Santorum said he was withdrawing from the advisory board of the Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center, which defended the district's policy. He said he never thought teachers should be required to teach intelligent design," according to Associated Press reporter Kimberly Hefling.
We are beginning to see some conservative politicians, such as Santorum, and Jeb Bush in Florida, back away slightly from public support for intelligent design. It will be interesting to watch them maneuver to retain support from their fundamentalist base without alienating mainstream voters in the coming months.
In a 2002 newspaper op-ed piece, Santorum called intelligent design "a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes."
"But the day after a federal judge ruled the Dover, Pa., school board's policy on intelligent design unconstitutional, Santorum said he was withdrawing from the advisory board of the Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center, which defended the district's policy. He said he never thought teachers should be required to teach intelligent design," according to Associated Press reporter Kimberly Hefling.
We are beginning to see some conservative politicians, such as Santorum, and Jeb Bush in Florida, back away slightly from public support for intelligent design. It will be interesting to watch them maneuver to retain support from their fundamentalist base without alienating mainstream voters in the coming months.
