Obama directs NASA to Improve Relations with the Muslim World

[dmek25]

its true

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Latest FOXNews.com - Former NASA Director Says Muslim Outreach Push 'Deeply Flawed'

From the article:
"NASA ... represents the best of America. Its purpose is not to inspire Muslims or any other cultural entity," Michael Griffin, who served as NASA administrator during the latter half of the Bush administration, told FoxNews.com.

"Officials from the White House and NASA on Tuesday stood by Bolden's statement that part of his mission is to improve relations with Muslim countries -- though NASA backed off the claim that such international diplomacy is Bolden's "foremost" responsibility.

"He also said that while welcome, Muslim-nation cooperation is not vital for U.S. advancements in space exploration. "There is no technology they have that we need," Griffin said. The former administrator stressed that any criticism should be directed at Obama, not Bolden, since NASA merely carries out policy."

And I guess it isn't just pandering to Muslim nations for $$$$

"A Feb. 16 blog in the Orlando Sentinel reported that Bolden discussed the outreach during a lecture to engineering students. As he did in the interview with Al Jazeera last month, Bolden was quoted then saying Obama told him to "find ways to reach out to dominantly Muslim countries." He reportedly talked about the importance of helping countries establish space programs and pointed to the largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia, as a possible partner. "We really like Indonesia because the State Department, the Department of Education (and) other agencies in the U.S. are reaching out to Indonesia as the largest Muslim nation in the world," he said. Bolden did not describe such outreach as his prime mission at the time."

EDIT: The lecture was held at the National Academy of Engineering, National Meeting, on Feb. 16 in Washington, D.C. at the National Academy of Sciences Building.