Grrrr ... I had a rant about this in my journal today. I work in research and see this sort of political meddling all the time. Whole programs are funded on ideas that have no research to back it up. The Bush administration doesn't want to hear what we have to say, so they cut our funding. Studies are funded by special interest groups with obvious bias and expectations. Researchers are afraid to share their findings or pursue certain areas because of the political fallout it may cause.
I love my job, but I'm so frequently disillusioned and disgusted with research. Politics and research are NEVER separate.
After the "either you are with us or you are against us"...
Now the "You'd better say what we want to hear"...
Science group warns of political interference
Bush administration said still trying to exert control
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5397350/
Comes in handy to have a bunch of obedient scientists publishing some non-objective studies to boycot the Kyoto treaty and other annoying (for their industrial friends) treaties...