Mike Griffin's Selective Poll Citation

"Recent and very specific public opinion surveys do in fact show a broad consensus in support of our new goals in space. Assuming that funding levels for NASA do not exceed one percent of the budget - and we should be so fortunate - fully three-fourths of the American people support the goals of the Vision. This public support is distributed across both genders and both parties. But we cannot take it for granted. We must speak clearly and openly to the American people about the risks and rewards of space exploration and scientific discovery."

Of couse, Griffin does not cite specific polls or metrics to support the statement "fully three-fourths of the American people support the goals of the Vision." More importantly, at the time Griffin did not describe the structure of the polls and whether the respondents were asked if they supported the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) if large scale cuts in space and life sciences were to be made.

Indeed, if you read the President's own words from 14 Janaury 2004, he makes no mention whatseover of the large scale dismantling that Griffin has now undertaken (with OMB's blessing) of science programs at NASA. One has to wonder what the reaction of the public and Congress would have been had these cuts been rolled out on the same day as part of the package President Bush unveiled as his "Vision for Space Exploration".