Political Quotes

“Mr. President, before this sounds like an admiration society, I will say it is genuinely felt. Nomination of James Bridenstine Mr. President, what I want to do is talk about the leadership of our civilian space program. Traditionally, the NASA administrator has been well qualified and is not controversial. NASA is one of the few remaining areas that has largely avoided the bitter partisanship that has invaded far too many areas of government in our society today--until now. The NASA nominee, Congressman Bridenstine, was nominated to head NASA last fall. His hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee was among the most contentious I have ever been a part of. He was voted out of the committee on party lines, and Senators on both sides of the aisle have expressed doubts, both publicly and privately, to me on his qualifications for the job. The NASA Administrator should be a consummate space professional. That is what this Senator wants, a space professional, not a politician, as the head of NASA. That space professional ought to be technically and scientifically competent and a skilled executive. More importantly, the Administrator must be a leader who has the ability to bring us together, to unite scientists, engineers, commercial space interests, policymakers, and the public on a shared vision for future space exploration. As you know, our goal is going to Mars in the decade of the 2030s. We set the goal first with the Obama administration and now with the Trump administration.…”