John McCain's Space Program

What would space policy be like under a John McCain Presidency? Some hint of what the course of the United States space program would be was given recently when Senator McCain came out very strongly for the Vision for Space Exploration. McCain released the following statement:

"John McCain is a strong supporter of NASA and the space program. He is proud to have sponsored legislation authorizing funding consistent with the President's vision for the space program, which includes a return of astronauts to the Moon in preparation for a manned mission to Mars. He believes support for a continued US presence in space is of major importance to America's future innovation and security. He has also been a staunch advocate for ensuring that NASA funding is accompanied by proper management and oversight to ensure that the taxpayers receive the maximum return on their investment. John McCain believes curiosity and a drive to explore have always been quintessential American traits. This has been most evident in the space program, for which he will continue his strong support. "

The statement from McCain sounds promising, so far that it goes. It meshes with McCain's record in the Senate. But there is no promise of extra money, as has been suggested by some members of Congress. The verbiage about management and oversight, while it certainly meshes with McCain's stance as a spending hawk, doesn't suggest a desire to spend a lot of money on space projects. But the strong statement of support contrasts pretty well with the hostility toward space exploration that has been demonstrated by both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama.

But what about commercial space? On this subject, McCain is silent. But some recent statements McCain has made on commerce in general gives cause for concern.

When McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, he suggested at the time that he did so because they favored the rich, a curious rational coming from a Republican. McCain has since had an election year conversion and claims that he really opposed the tax cuts because they were not accompanied by spending cuts, but now supports the tax cuts.