John Edwards on Science

While I was reading Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope, I posted a segment of the text with some of his views about publicly funded science. Well, Coturnix at A Blog Around the Clock snagged an exclusive interview with John Edwards, and focused on science questions. You should note that the interviewer is from North Carolina and is a big fan of Edwards before. It is clear who he will be voting for in the primary. His conclusion statement is:

Thank you, Senator for taking your time to answer my questions. I hope the American voters give you the chance to implement your ideas in the near future.

Even so, many of Edwards' remarks are right on the money. Such as:

The Office of Science and Technology Policy will play a central role when I'm president. We need to encourage science, and do it honestly and openly. It's unfortunate the Bush administration hasn't shared that view. The censorship and suppression of science on climate change, on air pollution, on stem cell research--all to advance a political agenda--is wrong. Policy should be science driven; science shouldn't be politics driven.

and

We need to invest in the next generation of math and science teachers for our schools. Ninety-five percent of urban high schools report problems getting qualified science teachers. We need higher pay for teachers, college loan forgiveness, and better teacher training programs.

Unfortunately, the questioner did not ask (or the subject declined to answer) about embryonic stem cell research.

I wonder if the other candidates would differ in opinion about these replies. If any of you readers come across other candidates' answers about science issues, give me a heads' up!