There is probably a combination of natural climate change AND global warming in place now. The town that I live in (Waveland, MS) was completely wiped off he map in 2005... hurricane Katrina... we were point zero. Our climate has been changing in an obvious/noticeable way for several years. This winter has been very strange. 'Something' is happening. I could list major southern lakes that are drying up ~if you like :) ~In any case, there were tornadoes in the middle of Atlanta last month and when I was up in Jackson this weekend whole sections of of the city had been destroyed by tornadoes...all of this activity is unusual.
Didn't the UK have some horrible flooding in Sheffield that was considered unusual. I remember seeing the images in the news.
As for NASA being under the government thumb...hmm...I think the bush administration is doing as little as possible to help end human participation in Global warming...so if the bush admin is pressuring NASA it doesn't add up for me. Bush is an oil man and so is the VP. I don't think the government cares, they do exactly as they please without regard for science or man.
Something is happening to the climate and it isn't exactly the norm as we've known it. Climate change~Global Warming...or both.
Get ready for the water wars.