Update 5-18: Because Obama's meeting with Netanyahu ran long (and this could only be a good thing) Obama will meet with Bolden May 19, according to Gibbs. Charles Bolden has long been rumored to be the next possible NASA administrator. The Obama administration didn't seem too pleased with current administrator, Mike Griffin. Read more about Bolden here. Then Scott Gration was said to be the next NASA administrator but Obama chose Gration to be the Sudan envoy. But now, it's looking like Bolden will get the job. He's meeting with Obama on Monday.
It looks like Bill Nelson may finally get his man.
For months, the Florida senator has been an ardent advocate of retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, a four-time shuttle astronaut, to be the next NASA administrator. Bolden, who would be the first African American to lead the civilian space agency, is now an aerospace consultant and is popular in the space community.
Nelson has been a Bolden fan since Bolden piloted the shuttle with Nelson aboard in 1986. But to Nelson's great frustration, the job has remained vacant. Twice, the White House floated the names of other candidates for the NASA post -- first Scott Gration, then Steve Isakowitz -- only to back down when congressional leaders balked.
Now, however, Bolden is expected to meet with President Obama at the White House on Monday. The meeting, first reported by NBC, suggests that Bolden has passed the major vetting tests and now merely has to make Obama comfortable with the selection. Read more at WaPo
