A snippet from an online chat at washingtonpost.com earlier this week featuring conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and his liberal counterpart, Ana Marie Cox:
Hyattsville, Md.: Hello Tucker and Ana,
In terms of budget, NASA is bigger than four federal departments (Commerce, Labor, Treasury, Interior). The White House hasn’t nominated anyone to be NASA’s boss. What’s going on?
Tucker Carlson: A better question might be: Why hasn’t anyone noticed that nobody’s been nominated to run NASA? Probably because it’s the least of this administration’s (many, many) problems. They still have rows of empty desks at Treasury. If you can even believe that.
As for who ought to run NASA, I say bring back Dan Goldin. He was tremendous I thought.
Ana Marie Cox: BUT if we found gold on Mars everything would be okay!
I am not as up to date on the prospects for Spaceman-in-chief but I do think it’s just as important as those empty desks at Treasury.
Actually, people have noticed the lack of a NASA administrator nominee: the space community has almost a monomaniacal focus on the topic today, and it even captured the attention of the Post last week. Also, it’s not certain that everyone would agree with Carlson that Goldin was “tremendous” as administrator—or at least tremendous in a positive way.
I’m sorry to be so blunt, but Ana Marie Cox sounds like an idiot. If she is trying to make a joke that is one thing, but it sounds like she is belittling the fact that NASA doesn’t have an administrator. My guess is she is waiting to see what the obama line is, concerning NASA so that she can dutifully start promoting it.
The fact that NASA does not have an administrator is huge, and needs to be corrected sooner than later. This is sending a clear signal that the administration does not care for the space program in the least.
And Tucker Carlson must have been comatose during the “Goldin Years” when we gutted our capabilities to serve a political agenda. Right now Better Cheaper Faster would mean one of three not any two.
Must be very sloooow news day for this to get any mention.
Bring back Goldin? I shudder when I hear that name.
It is on the public record that when Goldin was named president of Boston University in 2003, he was paid $1.8 million to go away before he formally assumed that position.
I have also heard many complaints about the man’s leadership on so many levels it is not funny. Tucker Carlson should read the Columbia report. The culture of the NASA organization was blamed in large part for that disaster. That’s not something that changes when political appointees do. Goldin was the longest serving NASA Administrator. He must bear heavy responsibility for that culture. People argue that he made things much worse.
No NASA Administrator?
Thiokol has vast influence lobbying with money from Iraq arms sales. I’m sure Bolden was and is a fine flight engineer, and a fine person, but Bolden was also a Thiokol lobbyist.
Its long past time to stop Ares 1 and get on with Direct and CAPS. We need a NASA Administrator who can do it.
E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas