Obama and Space

I've written a number of criticisms of Romney's performance in the last debate.  What about Obama?

Obama did mention space.  Just one word.  That was a mistake.  It was one area in which he might well have claimed some success and with some justification.

Republicans like to talk a good game of reducing deficits and such, but their words don't always live up to their deeds.  That's how they got into so much trouble in 2006.  It has been six years though, and people forget.  The big deficits of the Bush administration started catching up to him and it led to a "thumping" in 2006.

What does that have to do with space?  Answer: The Augustine Commission and the end of the Constellation program.  That was a good move because that program was getting out of budget and off its schedule. It would never have succeeded because it would have busted the budget so many times that it would have become a white elephant long before it ever flew.  Obama could have mentioned this, but he allowed himself to get dragged into a slugging match over China.  A slugging match on that subject, he couldn't win, but a debate about space, he could have won.  He could have charged Romney with insincerity and he could have made that stick.

I suspected Romney after he ridiculed Gingrich's moon base ideas.  He claimed that it would be a trillion dollar program.  It would have been if it were ran as the way that government tends to run things- ergo Constellation.  So, Obama canned a Republican initiative that would have led to that outcome- a "Republican" move by a Democrat.  Romney is a Republican, therefore let Romney defend Constellation- a winning move for Obama.  An argument like that might have lost Florida, but it could have won Ohio.  Instead, he decided to argue about China, which is an argument that could lose Ohio for him.

Romney is suspect on this subject.  This could only be the "iceberg".  As Gingrich had a very good idea that happens to build upon something that Obama has supported--- commercial crew.  Yet Romney trashed it.  Instead, we could see the resurrection of Constellation and a further runaway government program that Romney pledged to get under control.  This is why Romney must be watched and watched very carefully.  Party loyalty has to be earned.  It isn't earned with cheap words.