Bush's Mars Plan Attacked - It's just pie in the sky to the foreign press.

Slate ^ | January 20, 2004 | Carl Schrag

[Cincinatus' Wife]

(AFP/Tim Sloan)

Can anybody be surprised that most of the world's papers were less than impressed by President Bush's plans for a manned mission to Mars? While the thrill of interplanetary exploration makes for a hot election-year topic at home, much of the foreign press saw it as rocket-fueled American imperialism.

Characterizing a roundup of United Arab Emirates residents' views on Bush's latest policy announcement, the Gulf News said, "[P]resident Bush is promising the moon—quite literally—but people are skeptical about the plan being realized, and call it just another 'political gimmick' designed to uphold US supremacy and resume the space race."

Other voices in the Middle East were less charitable. The Palestinian Authority's Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah practically sneered: "The U.S. is preparing for the invasion of Mars and other planets. ... What are the other planets chosen for the US invasion? Are they an axis of planetary evil?" (Arabic translation courtesy of BBC Monitoring.)

Ridicule of Bush's plans wasn't limited to the Arab world. A columnist in the Age of Australia envisioned the day, not too far in the future, when American astronauts will traverse the rusty red rockscape—"so our scientists will be able to verify the existence of Martian rocks." As for the tremendous price tag affixed to the project? Not to worry. If it doesn't get spent on travel to Mars, it'll go for bombs and freeways, not education and health care. And what tangible impact will such an undertaking have on the future of the world? "A human trip to Mars is about as useful as a surfing trip to the Dandenongs."

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The purpose in going is to develop the capacity for going, because the country that does that leads, and the others follow along behind. Its not the rocks, its the skills.

It's both - knowledge and skills.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

There is not a country on earth that can stop America if America settles on a goal.

Bump!

[Prime Choice]

Don't sweat it, folks. Just remember that cynics know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

On this matter we are in violent agreement. : )

[Smile-n-Win]

They're evil but funny.

Actually, evil and funny (= ridiculous) usually go hand in hand. Think Baghdad Bob. Think DemocRATs.