'Climategate' may harm Dem agenda

Politico reports:

A series of embarrassing emails stolen from a British climate research center last month has wreaked havoc in the obscure academic circles of climate science.

Now, Republicans hope the “climategate” scandal will do the same to the Obama administration’s environmental agenda.

Global warming skeptics believe that the correspondence, which shows scientists debating whether to manipulate scientific data to strengthen the case for man-made global warming, is a smoking gun that will unalterably change the dynamics of the climate debate. Activists also hope the purloined emails will derail Democratic climate negotiations on Capitol Hill and international talks next week in Copenhagen.