Hilary Clinton on Science and Evolution

The New York Times has an article on Hilary Clinton's science agenda. She discussed space exploration, global warming, stem cells, and evolution. On evolution she says

“I believe in evolution, and I am shocked at some of the things that people in public life have been saying,” Mrs. Clinton said in the interview. “I believe that our founders had faith in reason and they also had faith in God, and one of our gifts from God is the ability to reason.”

“I am grateful that I have the ability to look at dinosaur bones and draw my own conclusions,” she added, saying, too, that antibiotic-resistant bacteria is evidence that “evolution is going on as we speak.”

I think candidates statements on evolution and a nearly perfect test of whether they will really support science or not if they were to be elected. Those candidates that say they do not believe in evolution and/or that they support teaching ID in science classes are unquestionably more likely to not treat science in general very well. And though I could quibble with Clinton's quote (antibiotic resistant bacteria are not per se evidence of evolution --- it is the spread of antibiotic resistance and the rapid origin of new forms of resistance that are due to evolution). But she has the general issue correct. Good to see some of the politicians are not sucking up too much to the anti-science crowds.