The Panda's Thumb and Thoughts from Kansas have the story on the announced "sponsorship" of anti-evolution at the Smithsonian. It turns out that the DI is renting an auditorium for $16,000, nothing more, and are doing their best to puff it up into something more significant…such as, that the Smithsonian is "warming to intelligent design theory", according to Denyse O'Leary. The NY Times gets the real story from Bruce Chapman, president of the Discovery Institute.

When asked whether the announcement on the Discovery Institute's Web site meant to imply that the museum supports the film and the event, Mr. Chapman replied:

"We are not implying in any sense that they endorsed the content, but they are co-sponsoring it, and we are delighted. We're not claiming anything more than that. They certainly didn't say, 'We're really warming up to intelligent design, and therefore we're going to sponsor this.'"

Way to go, Bruce! Simultaneously leaving O'Leary twisting in the wind by denying her very own phrasing, while doing your best to smarm up the event as much as possible. If they aren't endorsing it, and if "co-sponsoring" just means they're renting you a room in the Smithsonian building, what have you got to be so delighted about?

Once again, we see that the Discovery Institute is full of cheesy, gladhanding frauds. They aren't aspiring to be scientists; they have a long way to climb up the credibility ladder to reach the level of used-car salesmen.