Would that it were true that all scientists were perfectly dispassionate and apolitical, Paul.  Alas, that is not the case - speaking as someone who was in and out of academia for many years, and knows quite a few working scientists.  

Practicing scientists in academia and government are overwhelmingly liberal in their personal politics.  (They know perfectly well which side the bread is buttered on ...)

Scientists and engineers employed in the private sector will tend to be much more pragmatically middle-of-the-road, even a few being (gasp!) rather conservative (especially fiscally conservative).

The present *contretemps* over climate-change science will provide plenty of fodder for future historians of science.   I'd love to see how they will explain the character assassination of practicing climatologists like Patrick Michaels, Richard Lindzen, or Judith Curry - who have impeccable academic creds but don't go along with every f**t emerging from the modeling crowd.  :-/