Energy policy: A state of disunion in the US

President Obama's plans to green the US economy face political and financial obstacles

IN HIS State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama called for federal spending on research and development at a level unseen since the height of the Space Race. "Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon," he said. "The science wasn't there yet. Nasa didn't even exist. "But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs." Many members of the audience were not even born in October 1957, when the Soviet Union surprised the world by putting the first artificia