Hats off to Hillary - she made a smart play yesterday, using the fiftieth anniversary of the Sputnik launch to expound on her science platform before a beltway crowd at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.
Like all the other Democratic presidential candidates, Clinton wants to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions, but she has not been a particular leader in that arena. Yesterday's speech could give her a boost, however. The event received ample press coverage and none of the other candidates seized on the auspicious occasion to promote their own science agendas.
Energy and environment have gained a new prominence in the current presidential campaign, but they remain largely subsurface issues because of the general agreement among moderate and liberal candidates that something needs to be done about man-made climate change.
