The Trouble With Bush’s Initiative
“I think the biggest stumbling block is ensuring sustainability. The continuation of support for such a program has to survive multiple presidencies, multiple Congresses, [and] multiple generations,” Edward “Pete” Aldridge, the commission’s chairman, said after the panel’s first public meeting. “If we can’t do that, we will achieve what we have achieved in the past — spikes and valleys in space budgets subject to the whims of the political leaders of the time.”
Eggggggsactly.
I’m glad someone’s thinking this through.
Posted February 12th, 2004 in Space Man by Geof F. Morris.
The sad truth is, this is probably the case with a majority of Bush’s work. I like most of what he’s done, but too much if it is too extreme to withstand future democratic political muscle.
February 12th, 2004 at 23:27No no no … it’s not a political thing, really. It’s just the problem that’s inherent to starting a long-term program like this. The government goes year-to-year.
People never really stop to think about what Jack Kennedy did … he knew in making his push for the moon that he would not be President when it happened. The boldest part of the challenge was the deadline: “… before this decade is out …” In Kennedy’s long-famous speech before Congress, he made the challenge that he knew someone else would get to fulfill. He didn’t know that he’d never live to see it, but he knew he wouldn’t still be President.
It is that kind of selfless statesmanship that is preternatural these days.
February 12th, 2004 at 23:33