My personal experiences with Bush Politics

[TZ]

So after 6 years it seems slimy Bush politics and behavior has infected the govt at all levels. I think you guys might appreciate this story (therapeutic for me to talk about this as well).
Last May I started what seemed like the perfect job for a lab tech like me: establishing an automated testing facility at NIH for malaria vaccine testing. And I was working directly with/under the co/chair of the department. It was interesting but it seems I was brought in to circumvent a particularly dishonest and incompetant group of people whose results were not good. I didn't worry thinking I had the boss at my back they couldn't hurt me (my boss even went over to that particular lab to get my samples so I wouldn't have to deal with them). Well it seems I worked too hard and made them look like the fools they are. My results were fantastic, but there was a lot of work involved (horrors you might have to do 1-2 solid hours of work!). Then my boss went to Australia (his home) for a month. The backstabbing and lying began. Since I did things differently (and only the old methods are acceptable to these idiots despite my consistant results- and especially since they couldn't replicate my work) I was branded as incompetant and dangerous. When my boss got back I was promptly yanked out from under him. My data was either ignored or changed, my bosses programs altered to make my data look bad. They tried to "retrain" me. He stopped that but still I was really told not to "bother" him he was too busy for my project. A month later he was "fired". He has tenure but they pushed him out. A prominemt scientist (and brilliant) in the field for 25 years now he sits in small corner offices doing admin work while his career crumbles (we remain friends and when I talked last he was so depressed). I also have been blacklisted so I probably won't be able to work at NIH anymore.His boss is most likely a politcal appointee.(She mismanaged a anthrax vaccine study when at the FDA by giving vaccines before efficacy and safety studies were done and now she is like #2 or 3 at NIAID. And since my boss was fired, Bush suddenly budgets 1.5 billion for malaria vaccines..this is just the basic story but it is so typical of the administration. And its so sad what they did to my former boss (but now good friend) who is a smart capable and HONEST person (they said he demoted and fired people inappropriately). After he was gone, with no explanation given to the department rumors were spread that he was underhanded, a bully and a chauvanist, none of which are even remotely true. I am currently doing a temp job. Not a lot of challenge for me in it with terrible benefits but it pays the bills while I keep looking.
What worries me is there are a whole bunch of African children in Mali that are being given this experimental vaccine and with what is going on there-the people are more interested in polishing their credentials than actually making a safe and effective disease and since they are poor African children it seems their safety is not important. Wish I could do more. But have no proof and am not up to being a whistleblower (too sensitive).