I hope that this story is true, and if it is, it's one more reason for me to support the reelection of the president. It's certainly not something that a Kerry administration would consider (except possibly to make things worse).

[Via Mark Krikorian]

More unilaterialism from the Bush Administration. God how I love it so, especially as it will annoy the French.

The UN would have a fit (another good reason to do it:-) because most of them don't have access to space and if they can't have it they won't want anyone else to either.

My heart utterly fails to bleed.

Agreed.

Unfortunately if this information falls into the wrong hands it will be more ammunition for the Kerry crowd.

Hopefully they are too busy looking for missing explosives (hopefully in a dark (and isolated) place with a candle) to notice.

Hey, if that happens, maybe we can start lobbying for a restart of Orion... ;-)

- Eric.

Space should be populated and used by those countries smart enough, strong enough and wealthy enough to do so. And when they get there, it's for whatever they want to do. Including defend themselves, or God forbid, track global terrorists and blow them up, with space based or directed weapons.

Also, Michael, the space we have to worry about with Kedwards, is the empty space betwixt their ears.

Great news. Another "feel good" treaty that accomplishes nothing. The ABM treaty... gone during W's first term. Hopefully, the Outer Space treaty... gone in his second.

"Space should be populated and used by those countries smart enough, strong enough and wealthy enough to do so."

Countries ? Subsitute for "people" and i'd agree

Hopefully they are too busy looking for missing explosives (hopefully in a dark (and isolated) place with a candle). .

Christ, I read this while drinking some Coke. Now it's all over the keyboard, damn you. . .

Just one word: "YAY!"

Please let them do this. The Outer Space Treaty is just stupid. Why not allow countries to claim territory and exploit resources on other planets/moons?

Now, what to do about those guys that claim they own the Moon and Mars and stuff, and sell land certificates on the Internet?

Kert, actually thats what I meant, simply used country thinking of who won the X-Prize.

Don't worry about us Kerry folks noticing. Some of us already have. I think the treaty needs to go into the trash too, though I would support a unilateral statement that we will continue to stick to the WMD clauses.

The folks who buy and sell land claims out there would probably be in favor of this if they are from the US or can stablize their claim here. 8)

It might be worth putting a 'use it or lose it' clause into land claims in space.

I got a laugh out of these lines in the article:

"[Sietzen] told Government Executive last week that NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe personally solicited him to represent Bush in the debate. NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said the Bush campaign, not O'Keefe, solicited Sietzen."

Can't think of why Sietzen would say O'Keefe asked him if he didn't. My guess on this is that after reading Sietzen's statement, the brass in NASA then remembered that they may have to go to a future Kerry administration for funding & had Jacobs say 'no, no, wasn't us!", thereby creating cover if they have to disassociate from Sietzen's comments later.

Not a big deal, just amusing to see how election dynamics work.