When asked, don't tell

Andy Revkin in the March 8th NY Times has the latest from the tape over the mouth tales. Scientists in the Alaskan branch of the Fish and Wildlife Service have been told

"Please be advised that all foreign travel requests (SF 1175 requests) and any future travel requests involving or potentially involving climate change, sea ice and/or polar bears will also require a memorandum from the regional director to the director indicating who'll be the official spokesman on the trip and the one responding to questions on these issues, particularly polar bears."

UPDATE: Anne at Brad DeLong's blog captures the polar bears perfectly::

Think I'm kidding about not mentioning polar bears, which I have not mentioned, well Washington ordered Alaskan biologists not to mention polar bear. Actually ordered them not to mention polar bears twice, then confirmed the order.

[Please do not report me for mentioning polar bears, because I really haven't.]

Posted by: anne | March 10, 2007 at 08:26 AM

But I like polar bears. Imagine the insanity of this Administration when mentioning polar bears takes an order not to mention polar bears. I think the reason is polar bear sex, but I am not allowed by Washington to mention sex either.

Posted by: anne | March 10, 2007 at 08:31 AM

There is more, head over there for it