Obama nominates first African American to head NASA

President Barack Obama yesterday nominated Retired Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr. as the new head of NASA.

Bolden, a former Marine aviator and space shuttle astronaut, will become the first African American to run the space agency if approved by the Senate.

Bolden also worked as CEO of a defense and aerospace consulting firm.

Among Obama's space goals include winding down the space shuttle program; sending a space crew to the Moon by 2020; and deployment of a climate change research and monitoring system in space

MiamiHerald.com

Obama Picks Shuttle Veteran To Be First Black NASA Chief

Washington Post - ‎1 hour ago‎

By Scott Wilson President Obama yesterday nominated a former Marine aviator and space shuttle astronaut to become the new head of NASA and oversee a broad review of the agency's ambitions for manned and robotic space exploration.

Bolden Is Tapped to Run NASA Wall Street Journal

Obama picks former astronaut to lead NASA CNET News

Obama at the Apollo

Sen. Barack Obama invaded Hillary Clinton territory today selling out the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem and meeting with African American leader Al Sharpton.

Clinton and Obama are locked in a battle for the black vote that will play an important role in South Carolina and many other states particularly in the South.

The $50-a-head fundraiser sold out the Apollo, which has a capacity of 1,400 people.

Sharpton and Obama had dinner at the soul food restaurant Silvia's after which Sharpton denied he was yet endorsing Obama. He did say that he and Obama "have been talking."

The importance of the African American vote

African American votes are important in any Democratic presidential primary but one could say they are especially important for Barack Obama as he is probably expected to do well among these voters.

I happen to be one of those that believe African American voters allowed Bill Clinton to win the 1992 primary despite coming in near the bottom in Iowa and losing, despite placing a close second, in New Hampshire.

The African American vote gave Clinton the edge in many states particularly in the South.

Jesse Jackson won 11 primaries in his second bid including South Carolina despite the fact that he was never competitive money-wise and was never taken seriously by the majority of white voters. His success was largely due to the power of African American voters in many key Democratic states where they effectively form a swing vote.

While it is important to do well in early states like Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Obama must campaign hard also in the African American community. In one of the early states, South Carolina, black votes are often key to winning for Democrats.