Army Science Board Nominee Subjected to Litmus Test

William E. Howard III, an engineer from McLean, VA, reported in a letter to Science that he was told by a member of the Army Science Board (ASB) staff that his nomination to the ASB, a Defense Department advisory panel, was rejected because he had contributed to the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain (R-AZ).¹ Howard says he never made such a contribution; instead, as it turns out, someone with a similar name (William S. Howard) had contributed the money.

The mix up only compounds the administration’s ill-considered practice. As Howard puts it, “The country is not being well-served by any administration’s policy of seeking advice only from a group of scientists and engineers who have passed the administration’s political litmus test.”²

1. W.E. Howard III, “Advice without dissent at the DOD” (letter), Science, November 15, 2002.

2. Ibid.