I worked as a producer for political talk radio show in a long ago former life, and I’ve heard a lot of interviews with government flunkies at varying levels of ass-talkery. As infuriating as it was to listen to Mr. Homan wriggle, I think Desiree handled it exactly the right way. She was firm, but respectful, and she kept after him without getting nasty.

By giving Mr. Homan repeated opportunities to answer her questions, rather than ignoring his squirming or bluntly calling him out on it, she let him do a thorough job of painting himself as a useless government flack. It was obvious to anyone listening that the guy was ducking like the last kid in a dodgeball tournament. But by resisting the urge to bludgeon him, Desiree preserved the possibility of maybe securing another interview with someone else from that agency.

Like it or not, a lot of the issues that we as skeptics are focused on, particularly in the alt-med arena, rub directly against government regulatory agencies. We may not get a straight answer out of them without an acetylene torch and a pair of needlenose pliers, but we’ll get even less from them if they’re not willing to talk to anyone in the community.

While this episode may not have been as entertaining as the usual sciencey/skeptical guests, it was very instructive in terms of the kind of things we’re working with, and against, even from the folks who are supposedly on our side. I think it’s great that the show is willing to look at our issues from that angle, and I hope they’ll do more of these kind of interviews in the future.