Obama's Aim to "Restore Science to Government"

Very thought-provoking article in the Times regarding Obama's priority of "restoring science to government," over against President Bush's alleged suppression of science in favor of ideology. The article strikes a very important chord in the intersection of ethics and politics, the importance of which can hardly be understated. It is the the supremacy of science as decision-making tool, detached from all "ideology".

If you recall my post on "A Procedure for Ethical Political Decision-Making", I addressed this issue directly and in relative depth. It is an enormously practical and consequential issue, for it affects public moral decisions that must be made. The fundamental question is, What is the basis of moral decision-making? It's undeniable that scientific observation and reasoning plays an important role, but does it play a magisterial (exclusive, determinative) role? Is it foundational to moral decision-making, or it is simply a necessary tool for applying "ideological" (deontological/revealed) moral absolutes?