- President Bush unveiled his proposal for a new space
program Wednesday by invoking the spirit of explorers Lewis and Clark,
saying, "They made that journey in the spirit of discovery...America
has ventured forth into space for the same reasons."[1] But the president
didn't mention that members of his administration view space as the next
frontier for military buildup and conquest.
-
- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld chaired the Commission
to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization
four years ago. Rumsfeld was announced as Bush's choice for DoD Secretary
weeks before the commission releasing its findings in January 2001. Rumsfeld's
report found that "we know from history that every medium -- air,
land and sea -- has seen conflict. Reality indicates that space will be
no different." The panel also concluded that "given this virtual
certainty, the [United States] must develop the means both to deter and
to defend against hostile acts in and from space." [2]
-
- The president's focus on space exploration because it
"improves our lives, and lifts our national spirit." However,
behind the scenes, USA Today reported that Bush was persuaded to move forward
in part due to the military benefits, as promoted to him by Vice President
Cheney.[3,4] The Center for American Progress' Progress Report yesterday
noted an appearance by Republican Congressman Tom Feeney on Scarborough
Country where he stated, "Somebody is going to dominate space. When
they do, just like when the British dominated the naval part of our globe,
established their empire, just like the United States has dominated the
air superiority, ultimately, whoever is able to dominate space will be
able to control the destiny of the entire Earth."[5]
-
- Feeney's comments echo PNAC's September 2000 report Rebuilding
America's Defenses, which said, "Much as control of the high seas
- and the protection of international commerce defined global power in
the past, so will control of the new "international commons"
be a key to world power in the future."[6]
-
- Sources: [1] Presidential Speech, 1/14/04. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040114-3.html
[2] Project for a New American Century. [3] "Skepticism surrounds
U.S. space plan," USAToday, 1/13/04. http://www.detnews.com/2004/politics/0401/13/a03-34361.htm
[4] "BACK ROADS: How serious is the Bush Administration about creating
a Palestinian state?", New Yorker Magazine, 12/15/2003. [5] Progress
Report, Center for American Progress, 1/14/04. http://www.americanprogress.org/AccountTempFiles/cf/%7BE924
5FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03%7D/040115.HTM#2 [6] "Rebuilding America's
Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century", Project
for a New American Century, p. 63. http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
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- http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df01162004.html
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