[neverdem]

"Charitable foundations" are sometimes known to push political causes and expect, for their money, the same kind of results government bureaucrats expect when they approve "grants". For example, I believe George Soros controls a number of "charitable foundations". Plenty of communist and left-leaning Democrat millionaires do.

I trust S. Fred Singer, which violates my general rule of being suspicious of those who don't use their first name. He's on the side of the honest scientists.

[Lancey Howard]

If you re-read the second to the last paragraph and parse it carefully, it sounds like Fred is paying lip service to the project - - after all, it's existence is the result of "climategate" and essentially acknowledges that the work of the "climategate" scientists was fraudulent - - even as he admits that he "personally" has "little faith in the quality of the surface data". BUT... he promises to "have an open mind on the issue" and says he "look(s) forward to seeing the results".

I trust Fred Singer, too, but there's no need to trust him here - - he sounds as skeptical of this effort as I am.

I believe the project is expected by its sponsors to affirm the findings of the original "climategate" scientists in order to give the Democrat "mainstream" newsrooms something to repeatedly soundbite into their headline stories as renewed efforts at "cap and trade" legislation and other massive taxpayer ripoffs commence once again. "Breaking news.. Global warming turns out to be a critical threat to our planet after all."