Romney campaign offers thin gruel for future NASA space policy

From Examiner:  Romney campaign offers thin gruel for future NASA space policy

According to CFN News in Florida, under prodding of both the media and the Obama campaign, Jeff Bechdel, Florida Communications Director, Mitt Romney For President, issued the following statement about the Republican presidential candidate’s views on space policy.

"Governor Romney will provide the clear, decisive, and steadfast leadership the space program requires. As President, Romney will bring together leading officials, researchers, and entrepreneurs to establish clear goals and missions for NASA that fulfill its objectives of spurring innovation, pursuing exploration, and symbolizing American exceptionalism.”

This statement adds nothing to the speech Romney gave in Florida last January in which he promised to have a space policy at some future date. It is thin gruel for people, especially on the space coast of Florida, who are wondering how different the civil space program will be under a President Romney than it is under President Obama. The Romney campaign is eschewing an opportunity to distinguish its candidate from President Obama in an increasingly important function of the federal government, projecting American power and influence beyond the Earth.

Of course any space policy that Romney might advocate will have risks. If he chooses to eviscerate NASA, say to make it a conduit for government subsidies for commercial space companies, he will cause a lot of disappointment among space enthusiasts. If he chooses a policy that is too similar to Obama’s then there will be no disappointment and no reason to support Romney over Obama. If he goes in a different direction, especially if it means spending more money, Romney opens himself to a different line of attack, along the lines that he wants to cut Medicare in order to go to Mars or some such thing.

But Romney should go bold, as he has shown himself capable of all from time to time, and lay out a vision for an American space future that, while highly risky, could be highly lucrative toward making the 21st Century a second American Century, making the moon, Mars, and then the rest of the Solar System a realm of American power and influence.