That’s what Jeff Foust says to do about Oberstar.
I agree with everything Jeff wrote, except for the part about his likely interest in this issue. I’m pretty sure that he hasn’t forgotten it, even if he has given up on it for now on the Hill.
And as I noted in comments over there, I don’t think that it’s “panicking” to attempt to nip a problem in the bud. It’s a lot easier to put the kibosh on it now than it would be after he was formally selected and announced. Clark Lindsey seems to share my view.
I would also note that I didn’t mean to imply that I thought this meant anything at all about an Obama administration’s general attitude toward commercial space. I doubt if whoever is considering Oberstar is even aware of the issue.
Lindsey is more right than Foust. Oberstar probably wouldn’t pay it much attention, but when he did, his instincts would be utterly wrong. Richardson should be called on to block the appointment; Coloradans should consider writing their new Senator, Mark Udall, to express their concerns; he has been space-aware due to Ball Aerospace having been in his district. Even if Oberstar is an unlikely threat, if the private space community can be seen to bring any pressure to bear on the topic, other candidates, who are likely to be entirely unaware of or indifferent to the issue, might start to cover that base. This is good.
Meanwhile, here’s another terrible idea: Bill Joy as Chief Technology Officer of the US. (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10083294-2.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20). Oh, joy.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (national Obama campaign co-chair) is being mentioned as the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation, according to Newsweek.
Governor Kaine has a demonstrated record of pro-space legislation in Virginia over the past two years that includes: 1] Virginia Spaceflight Liability & Immunity; ZeroGravity-ZeroTax; and a multi-million dollar bond package to fund constuction of a new COTS Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport launch pad. Not a bad record!
Tim Kaine is a commercial space supporter. I would be pleased for President-elect Obama to include him in his cabinet as Secretary of Transportation. 🙂