The covert Nixonian campaign against the world's climate scientists

It's beginning to look a lot like the hacking of private emails by scientists at a British global-warming research center -- the unlawful act that touched off the controversy now known as "Climategate" -- was not an isolated incident. Instead, there is new evidence of a coordinated, global campaign to discredit researchers who've endorsed the theory of manmade global warming, on the eve of the critical multi-nation summit on climate change that begins today in Copenhagen.

You don't think the "Climategate" revelations are getting the media attention they deserve (even though it was the top of the hour story this morning on both CNN and liberal-only-after-dark MSNBC...just sayin'...)? Well, that's a debate worth having. But this needs to be also included in the debate as well:

Attempts have been made to break into the offices of one of Canada's leading climate scientists, it was revealed yesterday. The victim was Andrew Weaver, a University of Victoria scientist and a key contributor to the work of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In one incident, an old computer was stolen and papers were disturbed.

In addition, individuals have attempted to impersonate technicians in a bid to access data from his office, said Weaver. The attempted breaches, on top of the hacking of files from British climate researcher Phil Jones, have heightened fears that climate-change deniers are mounting a campaign to discredit the work of leading meteorologists before the start of the Copenhagen climate summit tomorrow.

You have to believe that the folks who hacked the British scientific emails -- which even the most enthusiastic boosters of the scandal can't deny was a criminal act, as much as they try to steer away from that fact -- weren't some teenagers on a goof. Instead, you have to think that as the world moves toward Copenhagen and more coordinated efforts to reduce the burning of fossil fuels, there are powerful interests who are desperate to prevent change. And apparently they will stop at nothing. Richard Nixon learned how a campaign of illegal spying and break-ins can boomerang back to destroy you -- don't be shocked if "Climategate" takes a U-turn in a direction its enthusiasts don't want it to go.

Meanwhile, Attytood signs on to this editorial that appeared in newspapers around the globe:

Please read the whole thing, and discuss.