I would suggest finding a respected environmentalist and a scientist with an impeccable reputation, and have them outline a systematic program for developing nuclear power on a national scale. The emphasis would not be on technology, that is already pretty well worked out; (and we have 40+ global years of experience) it would be on policy, financing, public involvement, public information, and political coordination. EPA and AEC would have to get involved to dismantle the tangle of unnecessary add-on regulations that do little but give the environmentalists a false sense of security and industry an excuse to just retrofit their plants with more expensive add-ons. The guiding themes would be safety and national security, and the boost to America's lagging industrial sector (jobs!, jobs!, high-paying manly industrial and construction jobs!). That will bring the unions on board. Industry will sign up as soon as they smell the money. I'd finance the whole thing with government bonds, just like we did World War II. Just think of it, Jennifer López in a miniskirt on HDTV: "More Power to Ya, America, Buy Energy Bonds!" Will it be expensive, will there be waste and pork? SURE there will. But at least the money won't be leaving the country, and when it's over, we'll have something in concrete and steel to show for it.

If I were President, I'd set up a cabinet level office to do this, and put some Greenworthy policy wonk like Al Gore in charge. Don't laugh, I think he'd take the job and I think he could handle it. Jimmy Carter is a nuclear engineer, he'd be perfect for the Science Guy, but he's too old, so I'd get some Carl Sagan type to handle that end. The major problem to be solved is waste management and fuel cycle development, the plants can start going up full speed as soon as the fuel reprocessing is in place, in the meantime, some prototype plants can be built to build up infrastructure, train a worker base, and to select the final model for a standardized mass-produced nuclear generator. I'd probably start with a manageable (about a 300MW unit), and scale up by simply adding more of them. No super-tech, tried and true tech, concentrate on ease of constructiuon, maintenance, and operation. There will be time for upgrades later.

Just as only a Republican could open up China, only a Democrat could pull this off. Republicans are certainly able to do the job, but they would never have the credibility to pull the environmentalist fringe on board. A Democrat would immediately take the wind out of the sails of the knee-jerk liberals, and give them a sense of participation. You know they'll go nuke if a Democrat tells them it's OK.

Risky? Absolutely. But I think the problem isn't going to wait another thirty years while we build it up from the grass-roots. We've wasted too much time already. As for obstacles, the biggest I see is the major oil producers of the world. They will do everything they can to prevent us getting energy independence, they will even cut the price of oil in half to try and get us to stop. When methadone comes to town, the price of heroin drops.

I figure it will take 5 years to get the program started, another 5 to get it rolling, and another 5 before it starts making a difference. 5 more years after that and it will begin tp pay for itself.

And with my luck, 19 years from now, cheap fusion will come on line and put the whole shooting match out of business.