As the crossfire on the US election trail becomes ever nastier, will one of the bodies by the wayside be a planetarium?

Candidate John McCain took aim at these unlikely targets this week when discussing rival Barack Obama’s attempt to obtain earmarks for certain projects. Some estimates put Obama’s earmarks at over $900 million, meaning Obama has not a leg to stand on when attacking on Republican potential vice-president Palin on the same issue, says McCain.

“That’s nearly a million every day, every working day he’s been in Congress,” he says (AP). “And when you look at some of the planetariums and other foolishness that he asked for, he shouldn’t be saying anything about Governor Palin.”

Theoretical physicist JoAnne Hewett writes on the Cosmic Variance blog that McCain seems to be talking about Obama’s plans to provide cash for a refurb of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

“Quite frankly, I am left speechless at the phrase: ‘planetariums and other foolishness’,” says Hewett.

“… Sorry, but replacing 40 year old equipment at one of the leading science education facilities in this country (the Adler Planetarium is located in downtown Chicago and is the oldest planetarium in existence today) is one of the best investments in the future that I can think of. I’ve always equated planetariums with science education – an area where the US seems to be lacking.”

I’ll try and get the Adler to say something about this…

Related

John McCain: literally antiscience – Bad Science

Space: It’s an issue of national security – Florida Today

McCain bashes Obama on NASA – Boston Globe