He Lies With Such Ease, Just Like A Man On The Flying Trapeze

Obama's Call to Astronauts Gets Awkward
(Feb. 18) -- Astronauts flying in space are used to VIP phone calls that don't always go as scripted, but Wednesday's conversation was probably one of the most awkward.

President Barack Obama used his chat with the crews of the space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station to declare that he sees space exploration as "so important."

"My commitment to NASA is unwavering," Obama said. He emphasized "how proud we are of you ... and how committed we are to continuing human space exploration in the future."

A few weeks ago, the White House unveiled a plan to cancel NASA's new spaceship, its two new rockets and the NASA program, now five years in the making, to return astronauts to the moon. Though Obama also wants to add an extra $6 billion to NASA's budget over the next five years, his proposal has thrown much of the space agency into turmoil.