As far as Dr. Hansen goes, I in no way disrespect his work or his desire to speak as he chooses. I also think there is a very real difference between speaking as an employee while on the clock vs as a citizen on personal time. Everything I read last year during that episode indicated he had respected that boundary.

(I would still like to see a coherent conversation between the oceanographers and the atmospheric scientists discussing sub-surface geothermal impacts on ocean and atmospheric climate models)

The bigger picture issues of this post are the Politician's use of selected science, the firing of dissenting scientists, and the systematic removal of them from government advisory roles.

The material in the link above within the document "Flying Blind" is the core of this discussion. Anyone who wants to learn a little bit about the role of the scientific community advising government would also enjoy THE JASONS by Finkbeiner, keeping in mind it is only one view, the key is to open the door to curiosity and look deeper.

(Mole333, the Flying Blind reference is the tile of the Report by FAS, noting more. Although I like the title).