Well, first of all, I think it is fairly clear that Kerry's position
on space will be... we just don't know! Who knew what Bush's position
on space was before he got into office? Or anyone else? We essentially
deal with the luck of the draw here. It's a very minor issue.

The indirect effects of a Kerry election will be much more significant.
First of all, he'll be running on an agenda of increased taxes that will
run a high risk of stalling the economic recovery in the U.S.

The economic recovery in the US has only a small amount to do with the
tax cuts. You can read this from such radical caucuses as the IMF/WB.

A slowed
economy led by a President whose consituency will insist on spending the
budget on domestic issues (expect national health care initiatives and
similar programs) will simply not have the discretion to spend "extra" or
"optional" money on new initiatives.

It's hard to see how somebody who cuts taxes (largely as a bonanza for
powerful interests, not as economic stimulus, which would target those
likely to spend) and runs up massive deficits is going to have a lot
of doe either.

If Kerry is brave enough to propose a single payer system, you can
probably expect savings of maybe 3% of GNP, judging from typical cases
in other countries.


Secondly, the defeat of G.W. Bush will be viewed in the rest of the world
as a repudiation of the war on terror.

Let's hope so. We're likely to see a lot more terror if this war on
terror goes on long enough. It kind of reminds me of the war on drugs.

Whether or not this is true, it
can't help but encourage new efforts to force the U.S. out of the Middle
East.

God forbid the US might be brought somehow to renounce its
imperialism. What do you think of PNAC?

Kerry's views of international terrorism as a law enforcement
issue, rather than a national security one, practically guarantee a
return to the previous policies for dealing with terrorists.

What would those be? Funding them? Being them?

I'd predict
a resurgance in large-scale terrorism against domestic & foreign U.S.
targets within a year of the election -- with the resulting economic
damage further reducing the money available for "optional" projects like
the CEV (or a Kerry equivalent).

Yeah, ok. Nobody has a clue whether there is going to be terrorism
against the US or not. The best you can do is stop committing similar,
though much larger, crimes against other countries. Win the hearts of
the poor of the world, help them instead of hurting them.

You know, Osama bin Laden had a clear rationale for favoring 9/11. You
ought to read it. There are clear reasons he lists. None of them have
really been broadcast in the American media--it's more convenient to
simply deny reality and broadcast fantasies about how they "hate our
freedom" or something.