I remember that speech, it was a great speech, would have been a better speech had their been any form of follow up. The only change in NASA funding was more cuts, NASA wasn’t pushed to put any steps towards those goals into their place. Most of the media coverage I remember from that speech was quite positive, of course I’m more tied to the nerd section of the world, even the people that didn’t like Bush were happy to have some one with a vision for space. Then nothing happened. So much for the vision.
I think the reason nothing happened was it was one of the latter SOTUs and I beleive Dems had control of both houses, and the writing was on the wall for the collapse of the economy, and it got pushed to the back of the priority list.
Also, one of W’s biggest problems, is he never learned to defend himself. Most of the ludicrous accusations hurled at him by the leftist press could have been stopped dead in their tracks had he learned to fight them the way Reagan did, and the way Palin does. President Bush is a classy guy, and he assumed, wrongly, that the American people would see through the lies that were told about him. Granted he wasn’t the greatest president in history, but he was an honorable, and honest man, and doesn’t deserve the vitriol, and lies that have been hung around his neck, even by some here on FR. (Not speaking of you in relation to the discussion we’re having.)
An example? How many times did President Bush ask congress to get control of Freddie Mac, and Fannie May? But he is still being blamed for the economic woes of today in almost every poll.
President Bush gave a press conference before Katrina hit telling the people of NO to get out, because their Governor, and Mayor weren’t warning them, and the residents weren’t paying attention to the Federal governments warnings. This was a full 5 days before the storm hit, but because of the lies told about him by the dem machine, and press, polls still show most people blame him for the mess down there. We know better.
I think if Bush would have had a Republican congress those last 2 years, his plans may have gained some traction. We’ll never know. I do know I remember all the jokes by the so called pundits in the mainstream media about him being some “hick” “cowboy”, and giving plans to NASA. The same old crap we hear about every Conservative, when in reality it’s the libs like Obozo who speak Austrian, and have been to 57 states, who can’t scratch their a$$ without illustrated instructions.