Life on the Farm

Via Why Now? comes the conclusion to the career of the White House toady who fudged the data on global warming documents.

A senior White House official has resigned days after he was criticised for allegedly playing down global warming in US government documents.

The White House said Philip Cooney's sudden departure was totally unrelated to the allegations.

He was chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Critics say his alterations cast doubt on the link between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, accepted by most scientists.

"[Mr Cooney] had accumulated many weeks on leave, and so he decided to resign and take the summer off to spend some time with his family," presidential spokeswoman Erin Healy told AFP news agency.

"Spending time with his/her family" has become the new euphemism for "fired his ass." It's like the story that some parents used to tell their kids about what happened to the dog: "He's gone to live on a farm where he can run and play," when it reality they had him put to sleep. Nobody's buying it, least of all the dog...