I'm glad somebody takes space seriously...

Because Clinton was pretty ambivalent about it and Bush, well, if it isn't about oil or war, he's just not interested.  Fortunately the European Space Agency does have an interest:

Europe's new orbital cargo ship has launched from French Guiana on a mission to resupply the space station.

The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is the biggest and most complex spacecraft Europe has ever tried to put in orbit.

The 20-tonne unmanned freighter left the Kourou spaceport at 0403 GMT, riding atop an Ariane 5 rocket.

The spectacular night launch in the South American jungle was declared a success once the ATV had separated from its booster 66 minutes after lift-off.

Look at the size of the ATV, dubbed "Jules Verne:"