But hey, de gustibus non disputandum est. I agree with the larger point that many government agencies have their own art. When Congress stoops to criticize an agency’s artists, it is a sign of deeper trouble.

As for the NASA artist program producing “hotel wall kitsch,” you’re quite wrong. There are at least two books out devoted to this art, and some of it is quite nice. At the very least, NASA often commissions artwork of planned missions or things that could not otherwise be visualized. Prior to the launch of Hubble, for instance, the only way people could see what it would look like was via a painting.

And let’s put this in perspective too–many government agencies commission artwork, or even have their own resident artist programs. The DoD does it, with positions like “combat illustrator.” NASA is not unique in this regard.

I nominate you, Sam. Though would we also get a “A third of a Humorist in residence?”

One of the first things that I did in 2003 after I showed up as a new Member of Congress is I attended a memorial service for the Columbia astronauts. Certainly, spending money by NASA on a performance artist and a artist-in- residence program does nothing to make sure that the shuttle program gets back into space and prevents such tragedies in the future.

As a supporter of the space shuttle, Chocola isn’t really against NASA wasting money; he’s for it. He is the car salesman who sells you a luxury lemon and botches your loan too, but offers you a double refund when your quarter jams in the dealership vending machine.

For that matter, Chocola isn’t even against the rest of the NASA Arts program, which has commissioned hotel wall kitsch for decades. If you’re a NASA artist, bad taste is okay; leftist partisanship is the big no-no. (Okay, some of the NASA paintings rise above the level of kitsch.)