You wrote: “Most astronauts retire with dignity. This fool wants to be John Glenn.”
Glenn was a Marine Colonel (Pay Grade O-6). Kelly was a Navy Captain (Pay Grade O-6).
You’d think that gentlemen that rose to that level of leadership might be just a little bit more conservative... or did they just leave some of their brains in space before returning to earth?
As in all fields, some self-serving connivers will rise to those positions and ranks. Just look at how Glenn was portrayed in "The Right Stuff." A libertarian wrote the book and liberals made the film. Even they saw what he was.