I agree with Paul's thinking - talking to editors or funding agencies can be really - well, you know: a pain in the ass! It is not a fair game - in the end the guy or girl who has read most of Machiavelli will always win. If you would like to have public support/funding for your research, please be prepared to strech or bend your moral principles (if any) to the extreme. Or to lie straight into the face of your peers. We may all strive to do our very best - but not under conditions we have chosen. Sad, but true.