Science, logic, and truth should not be partisan issues; they are the cornerstones of fields that have made the United States a leader in innovation and a better place for everyone to live.

I was surprised that when you get into electoral politics how scientific the analysis was in the electorate. You can identify on a state-by-state or district-by-district basis fundamental building blocks that behave in different ways. I was impressed in general with the sophistication of polling.

In science, if you stand up and say something you know is not correct, that's career-ending. It used to be that way in politics, but not anymore.

The idea of ensuring that federal research dollars should be reasonably spread around is an arguably useful goal. But it should be done per person, not per state.

Chemistry's a word that people who make hires and decisions say, 'Hey, you guys go out and work on your chemistry!'

Institutions are increasingly persuaded that political maneuvering is more important than scientific justification in securing federal funds.

Even China's leaders routinely let the news media pool in, though they do their best to ignore them.

I think the main thing you measure your success by is what you do in comparison to your opposition. If you're in an industry where you're the leader, then you're performing very well.