A Coherent Call

In a New York Times op-ed James Watson makes a plea for restarting the "War on Cancer" — he says that "any claim that we are still 'at war' elicits painful sarcasm." He goes on to note that new vigor for the initiative should come from the top, as the US president is the one to pick the NCI head. Watson hopes that person provides strong leadership as well as experience in developing new pharmaceuticals. "I expect that my views will provoke rebuttals from prominent scientists who feel that it's not yet the time to go all out against cancer, and that until victory is more certain we should not further tap our limited coffers for more big-cancer money," Watson writes in conclusion. "While they are right that victory will not come from money alone, neither will it come from biding our time."