The relation of research to politics is described in three stages: (1) securing the contract in response to a request for proposals (RFP) format; (2) conducting the actual field research on site and in a university setting; and (3) securing final sign off on the completed research product. A second purpose of this paper is to compare the conventional use of empirical research language and assumptions of conducting credible research with actual experience in each of the three stages of conduct. A final purpose of this paper is to speculate on what this experience means to each of the six parameters of conducting credible field research by addressing the following six questions: Are state funded research ventures politicized? Does the RFP format guarantee problem focus? How do joint local community-state agency oversight arrangements govern? What are the political expectations for the meaning of feasibility assessment? How are long-standing political feuds and impasses expressed during the conduct of field research? What is the political relationship of the academic researcher to the conduct of field research? (Author/GK)