Exxon Mobile Sucks Gas

Let's see if this comes as a shock to anyone:

A group funded by Exxon Mobile sent a letter to scientists offering them 10,000 dollars to critique the recent global warming findings.

From CNNMoney.com:

A think tank partly funded by Exxon Mobil sent letters to scientists offering them up to $10,000 to critique findings in a major global warming study released Friday which found that global warming was real and likely caused by burning fossil fuels.

The American Enterprise Institute sent the letters to scientists offering them $10,000, plus travel and other expenses, to highlight the shortcomings in a report from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group widely considered to be the authority on climate change science.

"The purpose of this project is to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the IPCC process, especially as it bears on potential policy responses to climate change," said the memo, which was sent to a professor at Texas A&M University.

"We are hoping to sponsor a paper...that thoughtfully explores the limitations of climate model [forecasting] outputs as they pertain to the development of climate policy..."

The letter was obtained by CNNMoney.com through ExxposeExxon, a coalition of environmental groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

While there is nothing wrong with funding new research, activists said the intent of Exxon's letter seemed to be to criticize the UN report in the eyes of the public, outside the normal review process for scientific work.

What? An Oil company acting in its own interests? What are the odds???

To be fair, this isn't unsual. "President" Bush and the white house paid Iraqi newspaper reporters to lie about the extent of the violence in Iraq. And my friend once offered his ex-girlfriend 10 dollars to tell everyone he didn't ejaculate prematurely. That's the same, right? Bush and premature ejaculation?

Badum Bum Ching.