Bush flunky gets boot at NASA after faking resume

Apparently it’s not what you know but who you know that gets you a cushy public affairs job at NASA. According to the New York Times it seems that George Carlton Deutsch III, who until Wednesday was a public affairs officer at NASA, faked his resume, claiming a college degree he had not earned.

The Bush appointee and former 2004 campaign worker is fondly remembered as the fool who demanded that NASA scientists place the word “theory” after every mention of the Big Bang. Last October Deutsch sent an email to a contractor working on a website about Einstein for middle school students. Deutsch said that any mention of the Big Bang should be followed by the word ‘theory’ because, as everyone knows, it’s “not proven fact; it is opinion.” Wait, there’s more. “It is not NASA’s place, nor should it be to make a declaration such as this about the existence of the universe that discounts intelligent design by a creator,” wrote Deutsch.

He was also at the center of accusations by eminent NASA climate scientist Dr. James E. Hansen that the Bush Administration (through Deutsch) was barring agency scientists from discussing the urgency and threat of global warming. According to Hansen, Deutsch refused to let him be interviewed by National Public Radio, calling it “the most liberal media outlet in the country.” Deutsch also asserted that disseminating accurate scientific information was not his job as a NASA public affairs officer, instead he said his job was “to make the President look good.”

Apparently he forgot that in order to be a good flunky you have to learn to cover your tracks well. Deutsch, 24, claimed to have earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M in 2003. He did attend the school, writing apology pieces for Donald Rumsfeld in the school newspaper, but he never graduated with a degree in journalism, science or anything else. I guess when you are a Bush crony and have numbers following your name little details like actually earning a degree is not necessary . . . until the New York Times calls you on it, of course.