I do think that NASA has become a bureaucracy. The days when it was a bunch of engineers is long gone.
Fairly soon I will post an article about a talk I had with a retired NASA employee while fishing on a dock across from the main launch pads.
He supervised a team of 11 engineers. Why was he the supervisor? Because he got results. But, as he said "NASA is very different now." Rank and bureaucracy protocols were more important, said he.
Sounds pretty rank to me.
How come glades can see the obvious and you can't. This is somehting that everyone with a technical degree who has some experience with the Washington scene understands. It is a laughing stock. If you are part of it, don't defend it. Demand that it be fixed. It is for the nation.