NASA: where is our stimulus, dude?

As the Hubble servicing mission is going up, hopefully, we contemplate what on Earth is going on with NASA.

Like, why the cuts?

Well, I have no inside info on this, have not talked to anyone back east, so I'm guessing:

first, NASA is just not that much of a priority - too small, and the science stimulus is fairly well covered with NSF and DoE, not to mention NIH and NOAA;

secondly, the Obama transition team did not get what it needed from top levels of NASA, and this did not help expedite things;

thirdly, Obama did well initially getting senior appointees confirmed, but then hit a rash of problems and NASA administrator was not in the pipeline. Since then, by all accounts, some senior senators from FL and TX are holding things up - they want space cadets who will keep the money flowing to Exploration - building hardware to replace the shuttle and keeping JSC and KSC busy.
This is problematic, because major long term decisions about NASA's future need to be made Real Soon Now - like wtf to do with manned spaceflight and how - the shuttle is committed to retirement, and the Constellation Spam Cans are not ready and not looking all that good.

fourthly, Earth Science got tossed a stimulus bone, but didn't get a serious long term boost, their funding is placeholder level and actually steps back after the acceleration from the stimulus. The other Science units are being cut, in the plan, but that is basically because major cost "bumps" are being crossed over - like JWST peak and HST refurbishment bump in Astrophysics - and nothing new is being authorized.
Nothing new is being authorized because there is no one pushing for it, and little billion dollar, or two, initiatives like IXO or LISA etc are below the threshold of sensitivity for the White House.
The proximate cause here is lack of administrator - yes, White House could set policy, but a) they're kind busy, and b) you don't set policy and then bring a new top person... duh!

So, NASA is in deep doo-doo.
There is a new commission, and with Augustine chairing I'm sure it will make strong statements.
NASA can, and ought to be a major part of the science stimulus. It can also provide shovel ready projects, especially if some move is made to actually provide funding for launch technology that works.
But, NASA needs to have a goal - a real, serious, doable, funded, long term goal - that is interesting, inspiring, drives technology development, good engineering, furthers national goals,
and does science.

But that requires leadership, and that requires an administrator.