Question Five: National Security

It’s 3 AM, and your children are sleeping soundly. But somewhere, a phone is ringing. America’s safety is in trouble, and the president has veto power over the bills that propose the programs that might develop the methods that could eventually save your kids from something. As in the previous election, national security is a major issue. Can science help protect the nation? The candidates said they think so, but does their record support that claim?

Question Four: Science Education

John McCain and Barack Obama agree that children are our future. They say we need to teach them well and, after they’ve finished being taught well, let them lead the way. Coming out against education, and thus children, is the political equivalent of voting against puppies and rainbows. And yet, politicians still do it. Which candidate supported education less than their Science Debate 2008 answer lets on? Let’s go to the tape.

As we embark on a presidential election season filled with many a contentious and debatable issue, especially around such pressing topics as the environment and scientific advances (and the candidates' approaches to them), we invite the Popsci.com user community to join in the discussion.

After a year of winnowing down questions from 38,000 scientists and citizens, Science Debate 2008 sent 14 covering health, research, the environment and science to the presidential candidates. Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama answered the questions, and their answers can be read here. However, it’s easy for a politician to make promises, so PopSci investigated both senator’s voting records to see if their history matched up with their promises for the future. Each day for the next two weeks we'll present an analysis of the candidate’s voting records as compared with their answers to the ScienceDebate2008 questions. You can follow the entire series at popsci.com/election, where you can also sign up for an RSS feed.

Question Three: Energy

Ah, energy. Juice. The ol’ Newton meter. Energy policy sits at the intersection of climate change, national security, the economy, pollution, scientific research and a host of other issues. For the candidates, their position on the US energy policy informs many of their other Science Debate answers, but do those answers match up with their record?

Last year a group of six scientists and journalists began compiling a list of the most important science-related questions the presidential candidates should answer. The result was Science Debate 2008, a project that eventually expanded to include input from 38,000 scientists and citizens, who sent in 3,400 questions. Working with various scientific organizations, the six founders narrowed the submissions down to 14 questions about health, research, the environment and science.

Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama answered the questions, and their answers can be read here. However, it’s easy for a politician to make promises, so Popular Science investigated both senator’s voting records to see if their history matched up with their promises for the future. Each day for the next two weeks we'll present an analysis of the candidate’s voting records as compared with their answers to the Science Debate 2008 questions. You can follow the entire series at popsci.com/election, where you can also sign up for an RSS feed.

Question Two: Climate Change

In true political fashion, the candidates have come miles to near-agreement, and now haggle over the remaining inches. Both candidates agree that global warming poses a serious threat and needs to be tackled immediately with carbon emission reduction. Both candidates want to institute a cap and trade system to make carbon reduction market friendly. But do they have the record to back it up?

Last year a group of six scientists and journalists began compiling a list of the most important science-related questions the presidential candidates should answer. The result was ScienceDebate2008, a project that eventually expanded to include input from 38,000 scientists and citizens, who sent in 3,400 questions. Working with various scientific organizations, the six founders narrowed the submissions down to 14 questions about health, research, the environment and science.