Reuters reports that Rep. Dick Gephardt, one of the Democratic presidential candidates, commented on the rumors about a new Bush space policy on Friday. “I have nothing against NASA programs. I’ve been a supporter of them because I think you need that vision out there, especially for young people,” he was quoted as saying. “But you can’t shortchange the research that we need for things that need to happen here on Earth… That’s why energy research is so vital.” Indeed, Gephardt announced last year “Apollo 21″, a plan to achieve American energy independence in a decade, modeled on Kennedy’s manned Moon mission goal.
