The National Journal Congressional Insiders poll asked a group of Republican and Democratic members of Congress whether “it’s been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the Earth is warming because of man-made pollution.” In their responses, which are anonymous except for party ID, a disturbing 74 percent of Republicans said no. NJ provides a selection of textual responses to the question, including these choice quotes:

“In the ’70s, the ‘consensus of scientists’ was that we were beginning global cooling. Now it is global warming. Excuse me if I am skeptical of this newest form of secular religion. Perhaps we should pause and take a breath before we drink the new Kool-Aid!”

“What has been proven is that a well-targeted pop-culture campaign can trump even the best of science. The bad news is, a very few will get very rich, and the rest of us will foot the bill with mythical creations like cap and trade. The impact of such programs on the environment: Zero. The cost to the American public: Huge. The grin on Al Gore’s very wealthy face: Priceless!”

“It’s been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Democrats are OK with the idea of surrendering our spot atop the world economy.”

My favorite, though, is this quote, which indicates a complete lack of understanding of the scientific process:

“If there’s one thing poll after poll indicates, it’s that the science is not settled on this issue.”

How can polls tell us about whether the science is settled?