[onewhippedpuppy]

I'd really like to see some examples of politically motivated NASA missions. Because NASA is such a small amount of money (relatively) and basically invisible to the average American, they seem to be mostly ignored. Compared to a major defense project with a 20+ year production run, the financial impact of a single NASA project is relatively small.

Also, having worked with some of the commercial space companies, I can tell you that they are finding space is significantly harder and more expensive than expected. Every single one of their major projects have fallen behind schedule (and assume budget), some leading to loss of life. They are doing some great work and have some novel ideas, but this isn't easy stuff.