NBC Space Correspondent “Disturbed” By Pres. Obama’s NASA Cuts

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by Steve Krakauer | 9:58 am, April 16th, 2010

» 8 comments

President Barack Obama‘s NASA speech yesterday and new policy has seen its fair share of opinions from those in and around the program.

But one stood out – NBC’s 77-year-old space correspondent Jay Barbree, who very rarely goes political but certainly did yesterday.

Newsbusters caught the exchange during the NoonET hour on MSNBC with anchor Alex Witt, but it was a sentiment Barbree repeated throughout the day. “I’m a little disturbed right now, Alex,” said Barbree, before launching into his criticism of both the cuts and the stagecraft of the event:

The President came down here in his campaign and told these 15,000 workers here at the Space Center that if they would vote for him, that he would protect their jobs. 9,000 of them are about to lose their job. He is speaking before 200, extra hundred people here today only. It’s invitation only. He has not invited a single space worker from this space port to attend. It’s only academics and other high officials from outside of the country. Not one of them is invited to hear the President of the United States, on their own space port, speak today.

Witt, apparently looking for some sense of balance (or for MSNBC cynics, feeling a subconscious need to worship Obama), stepped up on and responded “on behalf of the Obama administration.” “They contend that 2500 new jobs will be created,” she said, but noted “understandably we get why you’re upset, right now.”

One of the reasons for the differing takes about what the result of Pres. Obama’s plan will be is because, so far, it appears very vague. But with Barbree’s pedigree and experience covering the space program – he has covered every manned space mission in the U.S. and has reported for NBC since 1958 – his critique is that much more pointed and important.

We may not see Barbree again until the NASA story is issue #1 for MSNBC, but his criticism will likely be echoed across the Sunday shows and beyond.

Here’s the exchange (via Newsbusters):

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Alex Witt, Jay Barbree, msnbc, NASA, NBC, NBC News, Pres. Barack Obama

Jamestaylor

Well, then he is a racist. There can be no other explanation.
felixw

This poor science reporter. No one told him that you can’t criticize President Obama on MSNBC. They will need to send him to re-education camp.
dhg

Barbree does have a point,one I’m sure MSNBC is sorry he expressed.Gee they kept someone experienced and informed and got it thrown back at them.Time to finish staffing up with lousy biased dorks like Contessa Brewer.Maybe Olbermann can now also be the space reporter…
Penguin60

How many “journalists” phrase an answer with, “on behalf of the Obama administration”.
Jamestaylor

Penguin60 says:
April 16, 2010 at 11:58 am

How many “journalists” phrase an answer with, “on behalf of the Obama administration”.”

hey, MSNBC is the official Obama network, after all.
m

NBC is a liberal organization that only sucks up to Obama. That’s what Fox News tells me.
Jamestaylor

Poor BM.

MSNBC and other media sucking up to BHO? Now why would anyone think that?

NBC’s Tom Brokaw crying on- the- air over BO’s inauguration and ABC’s George Stephanopoulos crying on the phone phone to his wife over BO inauguration..

MSNBC- Matthews saying he gets a “tingle” in his legs when BO speaks and says it is “his duty” to make sure the BO admin is successful.

KO’s program has become a one hour BO administration defender actually searching the media to find anything he believes was unfair to Bo and attacking the sources.

The president of MSNBC admitted MSNBC decided to be left of center to counter FOX.

Time- 13 covers of BO more than any other person.

Newsweek – At least two opinion pieces that said the US was “r@cist” if BO was not elected.

Maybe the above gave people that thought, eh?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Robert-Williams/1534809539 Robert Williams

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