Posted by tourdemars to General News at April 12, 2004 09:03 AM

When President George W. Bush announced a new civilian space policy at NASA Headquarters on January 14 he used much of the language typical of such speeches. He talked of vision and the bravery of explorers like Lewis and Clark, who traveled far and opened new frontiers. He cracked a couple of small jokes and spoke of the pioneering spirit that was part of America’s heritage. But there was a phrase missing from Bush’s speech: no mention of American “leadership in space.” The absence was notable largely because there was a time when this phrase was at the center of American space policy and was endlessly repeated in space policy speeches and documents.