Romney Should Not Call Returning to the Moon 'Zany'

COMMENTARY | Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has repeatedly referred to his main rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Newt Gingrich as "zany." According to Newsmax he defended his use of the term on "Fox News Sunday."

Romney repeated his assertion that Gingrich's ideas about mirrors in space and lunar mining colonies were not particularly practical. Gingrich mentioned the idea of mirrors in space to provide light once in a book he published in the 1980s, "Window of Opportunity," and has not mentioned it since.

Gingrich does favor lunar mining colonies, something that a number of scientists, astronauts and space visionaries such as the Lunar and Planetary Science Institute's Paul Spudis, support as the next step in human space exploration. NASA and various other space agencies and aerospace companies are developing plans for a return to the moon. The Daily Caller defended Gingrich's views on lunar settlement.

Romney's use of the word "zany" is itself interesting. Merriam-Webster has a number of definitions of the term. A zany was a clown or acrobat who mimicked the tricks of the principle player in old style comedies. It could also mean a slavish follower. But the definition that Romney is almost certainly using is the third one, being one who acts the buffoon for the amusement of others.

Romney's use of the term "zany" is not an exact one. Gingrich is not acting a buffoon or is seeking to amuse. Romney is using the term to suggest "crazy" or "weird." It is a political tactic to make his opponent seem unfit for public office and by implication Romney the more sensible of the two.

Romney may have made a misstep, though, in suggesting that lunar settlements are "zany." A permanent lunar outpost was one of the goals of President George W. Bush's Constellation program. President Ronald Reagan spoke favorably of returning to the moon in the late 1980s when a plan that called for it developed by the National Commission on Space was presented to him. President Obama, in his speech at the Kennedy Space Center, seemed to think the idea nonsensical however.

Romney seems to be suggested that President Bush (both of them because the elder Bush favored a return to the moon), President Reagan, and a number of eminent scientists and visionaries are all "zany" for wanting a return to the moon. A number of other words suggest themselves for someone who thinks that. Cold and unimaginative come to mind.

Source: Romney Assails Obama's Lack of Leadership, Defends 'Zany' Quip on Gingrich, Paul Scicchitano, Newsmax, Dec 18, 2011

Mission and Implementation of an Affordable Lunar Return, Paul Spudis and Tom Lavoie, Space Manufacturing 14 Conference, Dec 19, 2010

Global Exploration Roadmap, Moon Next Scenario, Roland Martinez, NASA, Nov 14, 2011

Gingrich is right about the space program, Dorian Davis, Daily Caller, Dec 12, 2011

Zany, Definition, Merriam-Webster

Pioneering the Space Frontier, National Commission on Space, 1986