I read that article Don. It's an interesting article. Actually, inflation isn't strictly necessary for the Big Bang, but it certainly confuses our understanding of the speed of light. String theory may be in more trouble, since it lacks a single shred of evidence. But my on reading the remarks of the administration stooge, my issues weren't with questioning the B.B. That's a completely laudable aspect of scientific investigation. I objected to his 'just a theory' thing. This shows his complete ignorance of the two meanings of the word. In science, a theory is upheld by a rigorous evidentiary chain. In common parlance, a theory can be any damn fool notion that's not supported by anything. It's in the political interest of some groups to keep that confusion alive.

Not to start a new controversy but the Big Bang Theory is in trouble. See the Scientific American Article, "Is the Universe out of Tune", August 2005.