(Finally) What Mike Griffin Actually Said

Editor's note: Dean Acosta just sent me this excerpt at 5:28 pm EST. Contrary to the impression Mike Griffin gave at the NASA employee update, there is not an transcript of the entire event in NASA's possession, just this small portion. Why NASA sat on this for more than 24 hours utterly escapes me - unless they were afraid of what people might think once they read it. Well, based on the words below, this strikes me as someone saying that they hope that Rep. Delay stays in Congress. Seems like a tacit endorsement to me.

"Delay: And it's the reason a shiver shoots down our spines every time we close our eyes and imagine an American flag flying on the surface of Mars. Ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed my pleasure to welcome once again to Houston my good friend and the leader of America's space program, Dr. Mike Griffin.

APPLAUSE

Griffin: Good evening. Thank you for having me here. Mr. Delay and I were chatting over dinner and I said, you know the way it ought to work is that I should be introducing you and you should do the keynote speech. And I really feel like that would be more appropriate. The space program has had no better friend in its entire existence than Tom Delay. He's still with us and we need to keep him there. There just are no better people.

APPLAUSE

Mr. Delay was quite correct, the budget battle this year was..."