Gore Assails Administration for Lack of Vision in Space Program

Tennessee Sen. Al Gore, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, attacked the Bush Administration on Friday for failing to articulate a clear vision for America’s space program.

A Clinton-Gore Administration, he said, would restore the “funding equilibrium” between NASA and the Pentagon’s space program that, he said, has been tilted too heavily toward defense initiatives under Republican leadership.

Gore also said he and Clinton support the building of the controversial Space Station Freedom and “a vigorous Strategic Defense Initiative that is focused on near-term threats, including short-range ballistic missile attacks against our troops and allies and the threat of a limited or accidental attack against America.”

Alabama is home to several important space centers and related production facilities, including NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Gore also accused the Bush Administration of “yet another complete flip-flop” on the advanced solid-rocket motor program, which it had earlier opposed but now has signaled a change of mind.

The bottom line, Gore said, is that the Bush Administration has “no policy for strategic decision-making,” adding that the President “just keeps making promises without a comprehensive view of NASA’s mission and future.”

Gore said a Democratic White House would bring “the same type of commitment, vision and leadership in aerospace that John F. Kennedy demonstrated with his bold call and follow-up plan to land a man on the moon.”