Comparing science to politics is practically impossible. In science, more and more facts are always better, and the review process among peers or experts in the field is a demanding gauntlet of your standing against the past, present, and the future. In politics, facts are insanely less important than perception. It's not even comparing apples to oranges, it's comparing apples to a dull spoon. Except that there is no spoon. Sigh.