Ann Coulter provides the actual editorial comments from the clueless USA Today editor who spiked her column.
All posts by Rand Simberg
Just A Stage Prop
I predicted in comments in this post that Senator Kerry would have nothing to say about space policy during his visit to Kennedy Space Center today.
I was right.
Well, at least it’s consistent with the party platform. There is zero evidence that he has any interest in space, and the president’s vision, such as it is, is almost certainly dead if he’s not reelected. At best, it appears that a Kerry space policy would be a return to the Clinton policy, based on the few things that he has said about it. As I said at the time, Democrats who are space enthusiasts are going to face a very tough choice in the voting booth this fall.
[Tuesday morning update]
Keith Cowing and Frank Sietzen have a relevant passage from their new book, on Kerry’s views on space.
Kerry’s “Dukakis In A Tank” Moment?
There’s a pretty funny caption contest going on over here, based on a picture of Senator Kerry at Kennedy Space Center.
[Update on Tuesday]
More captions over at Happy Fun Pundit.
Kerry’s “Dukakis In A Tank” Moment?
There’s a pretty funny caption contest going on over here, based on a picture of Senator Kerry at Kennedy Space Center.
[Update on Tuesday]
More captions over at Happy Fun Pundit.
Kerry’s “Dukakis In A Tank” Moment?
There’s a pretty funny caption contest going on over here, based on a picture of Senator Kerry at Kennedy Space Center.
[Update on Tuesday]
More captions over at Happy Fun Pundit.
What A Shock
There’s no mention of space policy in the Democrat Party platform. It mentions Apollo, but only as an example of how the nation can accomplish great (non-space-related) things when it sets its mind to it. As I noted in a comment there, it’s the old “if we can send a man to the moon, why can’t we solve world hunger?” platitudes.
No shock–there’s been no visionary space initiative on the part of any Democrat president since Kennedy (and I’d argue that even Kennedy’s wasn’t that visionary, since the vision was mainly to beat the Russians to the moon).
I would expect to see the president’s new vision in the Republican Party platform. It would be a monumental screwup, and indicative of its true priority, if it’s not.
Get Out The Popcorn
Al Gore’s going to speak at the convention tonight. Extrapolating from his most recent rants and ravings, I think that there’s a good possibility that we’ll get to watch his head actually explode, live on national television.
On Life Support?
NASA is still trying to salvage the Centennial Challenges program, but Congress remains resistant.
…Democrats on the subcommittee, including Reps. Nick Lampson, Sheila Jackson Lee and Bernice Johnson (all from Texas), expressed reservations about relying on prize money to spur technological innovation.
Space Poet
Dwayne Day says we need another Carl Sagan.
Here’s my candidate for a replacement.
Vision Losing Focus?
Jeff Foust has a writeup on Paul Spudis’ and Wendell Mendell’s talks at last weekend’s Return To The Moon Conference. Bottom line: as is often the case, NASA has met the enemy, and it is them.
Spudis thinks that NASA officials are deliberately misrepresenting the vision.