Cartoonist Ruben Bolling uncovers the secret origin of Judge John Roberts. (Click to get a “site pass.” After you see an advertisement, you’ll have full access to the site for one day.)

• Episode 1: Infant Strict Constructionist
• Episode 2: Education of a Conservative

Cartoonist Ward Sutton looks behind the smile.

Al Franken talking with Chris Mooney, author of The Republican War on Science:

Franken: This is Bobby Kennedy Jr.’s phrase: biostitutes. And these are guys who are scientists who are for hire…. And they will go in, and for enough money, declare that global warming is just, “It’s an open question as to whether it’s happening.” … And they’ll turn out a good two or three page report. And people in the media will get it, and then they’ll get the peer-reviewed study which is 1200 pages long. And they’ll go like … “I guess there’s an open question as to whether global warming’s really happening.”

Mooney: The press is definitely part of the problem on some of these issues.

Franken: Would you say laziness?

Mooney: Yeah, or just — it’s part of the institutional culture, as well: the “he said, she said, we’re clueless.” On the coverage, I mean. That’s what I call it.

Franken: Wait — he said, she said, we’re clueless?

Mooney: Yeah. “We’re” being the journalists. So they just — they refuse to evaluate the quality of the information. And on some issues, there might be a real scientific debate, right? Depends on the issue. Global warming, no debate. It’s quite clear. Evolution, no debate. It’s quite clear what the scientific point of view is, and there’s people who want to create a controversy for political reasons.