So apparently Bush isn't going to shoot for the Moon...

[sexybomber]

http://www.space.com/news/moon_bush_031204.html

- snip -

WASHINGTON -- Despite widespread speculation that a major presidential announcement on space is at hand, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters today that President Bush has no plans to make any policy announcement about the U.S. space program "in the near future."

Space enthusiasts and White House watchers have been speculating for weeks that Bush would announce a major new space initiative in a speech at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in December to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers historic flight.

Speaking at the daily White House Press briefing, McClellan said that while the president strongly supports the U.S. space program, no policy decisions would be made before the conclusion of an interagency review of U.S. space priorities.

"Several months ago the president initiated an interagency review of space exploration to determine the appropriate future course of U.S. space exploration activities. ... That review is ongoing," McClellan said.

- end snip, more at link -

Personally, I think that if Smirky were to announce a return to the Moon, it would prove that he's really starting to get desperate. It's his ace in the hole. Everybody likes moonshots. His approval rating would go up significantly as a result. Of course, it could backfire, if enough people realized it was designed to divert attention from Iraq, etc.

Any thoughts?

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. And where would the money come from????

:shrug: He is spending money like a drunken sailor.

[sexybomber]

4. Yeah... That's the sad thing though...

He's absolutely ruined the economy to the point where we just don't have enough money to fund the good stuff (education, environment, space), because we're spending all the money on the bad stuff (military, Iraq, etc.)

:-(

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Any swuch thing would no doubt be just another way

of camouflaging the militarization of space. There might be some advantages to having a military base on the moon, for example. Didn't Heinlein speculate about that?

[AG78]

5. Absolutely

I saw Brownback on some show, just a short soundbite. But he was talking about China now being in space, and how we don't want them on the moon before us. It's all about "them" and "us" again, which brings us all back to fearing "them", which is always fun, and always leads to good things.

[soothsayer]

6. but "we've" been on the moon before "them"

haven't we?

Nobody owns the moon, and I think by agreement no country is allowed to claim it

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Agreement? What agreement?

Dubya don't need no stinkin agreements.

[eileen_d]

3. But there's no oil on the moon.

Bush & company already have plenty of diversions from Iraq... for example the proposed amendment against gay marriage. Of course it's sooo much more important to prohibit expressions of love and commitment than it is to stop the war in Iraq. :eyes: