In America, we are not often surprised when our politics turn ugly. Especially in an election year, all hope for honest and informed discussion of national policy is lost when the debate becomes personal, a cycle of fiery accusations followed by knee-jerk responses. Both legislators and the public, I think, tolerate this type of discourse at their own peril. Our nation currendy faces a range of critical challenges-from energy policy to the credit crunch to immigration reform-that must be addressed with clear-eyed and intelligent debate. Now more than ever, there is a need for science, mathematics, and-most of all-statistics to inform and guide the discussion.
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