Some things are plain hard, and by that nature inescapably attractive to creatives, but not necessarily to the budget holders. The impossible, the undone, the "unhappened" - these are where creative and scientific minds endeavor to plant the first footprint in the dust.
The Bush people have no right to speak for my father, particularly because of the position he's in now (Alzheimer's Syndrome). Yes, some of the current policies are an extension of the '80s. But the overall thrust of this administration is not my father's - these people are overly reaching, overly aggressive, overly secretive, and just plain corrupt. I don't trust these people.