The New York Times says that Senator John McCain’s statement about there being “‘there’s strong evidence” linking thimerosal for the increase in diagnoses of autism is “good politics”:
…the parent groups raising concerns about the dangers of vaccines have not wavered in their conviction, and if anything have become more skeptical of government pronouncements on the issue over time. Radio hosts, journalists and a new television drama have also taken up the issue. So if his goal was bucking the establishment — and turning a weather eye on the government — Mr. McCain’s remarks made good politics.
Maybe’s McCain’s statement is “good …read more

Many in the autism community (as noted here and here), and many scientists (here and here, and here, and also here, for starters), have spoken out about Senator John McCain’s saying that “‘there’s strong evidence” linking thimerosal for the increase in diagnoses of autism in the US—-and political commentators have also been asking, what was the Senator thinking, or not?. (On the other hand, David Kirby writes a letter to McCain commending him for his “courage” and talks about the “Great American Autism Epidemic”—-too much misinformation to unpack right now.)
Here’s CBS’ Kevin Drum on McCain’s junk science:
So what happened …read more

So it seems that Senator John McCain has made his entrance into autism politics: At a town meeting in Texas today, McCain said that “‘there’s strong evidence’” that thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative, is responsible for the rising numbers of autistic children in the US. Writes Jake Tapper on Political Punch on ABC News:
McCain was responding to a question from the mother of a boy with autism, who asked about a recent story that the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program had issued a judgment in favor of an unnamed child whose family claimed …read more