Imagine that you’re a congressman or even an exalted United States senator. In your mind, you’re one of the most important people in the world. Now imagine how you’d feel when you find out that al Jazeera TV was told about NASA’s Muslim outreach before you were.
Uh-oh. The Washington Examiner has the surprising details of the surprised congressmen:
Rep. Pete Olson, the ranking Republican on the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, got a call from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on June 28, the day the White House released its new long-term plan for the space program. “He ran down some of the things from the president’s new space policy, and mentioned outreach to Muslims,” Olson recalls. “That stunned me. I didn’t believe it.”
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Democrat who chairs the subcommittee (and is also married to astronaut Mark Kelly), got a briefing from Bolden the same day, according to a spokesman.
As it happens, Bolden’s calls to Giffords and Olson came several days after Bolden discussed the Muslim initiative with Al Jazeera. According to a NASA spokesman, Bolden sat down with Al Jazeera’s Imran Garda on June 17, during a stop in Doha, Qatar. Bolden’s Mideast trip, which was timed to mark the first anniversary of President Obama’s June 2009 Muslim outreach speech, was devoted to pursuing “a new beginning of the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world.”
Make no mistake. Bolden’s interview with Al Jazeera interview aired on June 30, after Bolden briefed members of Congress. But it was recorded on June 17, before they were briefed.
Look for Congress to issue a fatwa on Charles Bolden.
Source: Washington Examiner
