Former astronaut looks like Obama's choice to head NASA

WASHINGTON — A leading candidate for the top job at NASA is a former astronaut who would be the first African-American to head the space agency.

Obama is scheduled to meet Tuesday with Charles Bolden, 62, to talk about the open position at NASA, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday. Bolden, a retired Marine Corps major general who flew on the space shuttle four times, is described as a gifted leader who knows how to listen and motivate others.

Bolden has "broad interests, a quick mind and … is a great team-builder," said Joseph Dyer, chairman of NASA's independent safety panel, which also includes Bolden as a member.

Leadership is needed at NASA, which Obama described in March as suffering from "a sense of drift." The administration is so concerned that earlier this month, the White House announced that an independent panel would evaluate NASA's manned-spaceflight program. The panel will present its results in August or September.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2009-05-18-nasa_N.htm

The part about the independent counsel (read: the White House) having all of the power is a bit interesting.

Wonder if he'd take the job? I imagine that administrators don't get to go on missions and he seems like an action kind of guy.

great! I hope he is chosen for this position.

The only problem would be that he was a former lobbyist. I sometimes wish the President hadn't made the rule about not hiring lobbyist. There are still good people who became. Every time he makes an excception the media will jump on it as a broken promise.