New Staff, New Direction for NASA

In a series of interviews to discuss the changes, sources in Congress, private industry and the government generally gave Griffin high marks for his new choices but suggested that pitfalls may lie ahead. They agreed to talk about NASA on the condition their names would not be used, because they were not authorized to speak for their organizations or did not want to become part of a dispute over agency policy.

One source suggested that Dale, a protege of former House Science Committee Chairman Robert S. Walker (R-Pa.), was a "mole" installed by the Bush administration to keep an eye on Griffin. Walker, now a lobbyist, has close White House ties.

Not true, Griffin said. The administration "consulted me, and I did pick Shana," he said. With "an extensive background in policy dealing with technical matters in Congress and the White House," he added, she will be "a deputy who will complement what I bring."

Two industry sources also said Dale may prove to be a tactful buffer for Griffin: "Mike says what's on his mind, and he realizes that it can cause problems," one source said. "He's bringing in Shana Dale to improve communications and interpret what he says."

This source and several others said Dale might have been able to help with a recent article in USA Today in which Griffin described the shuttle program as "a mistake." Griffin in the past has frequently expressed such sentiments, but the story caused an uproar within NASA, forcing him to explain his remarks in an agency-wide e-mail.

Congressional sources also suggested Dale could have helped with a recent spat between NASA and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs over a recent Government Accountability Office report on misuse of agency airplanes for executive travel before Griffin arrived.

"The committee called over to NASA, and they tried to be argumentative and to stonewall," the source said. "It could have been handled much more smoothly." This source blamed the misunderstanding on NASA's new chief of staff, Paul Morrell, hired by Griffin from the White House National Security Council. Morrell, according to this source, "is in over his head."

Griffin defended Morrell's hiring and his qualifications: "He came in for an interview, and we hit it off beautifully," Griffin said. "And there wasn't a solitary soul in the White House that cared one way or the other whether I hired him."

Griffin acknowledged that his high-level clean sweep has "displeased" some of those affected, and "some of those who supported them," but insisted that he made his changes "without prejudice."

Those who left "are not bad people or bad managers," he said. "Their skills were just not the ones I needed to go forward, and that's my judgment to make. The most important thing I do is pick the team."

He may not be finished: "Some more evaluation is required to see whether we are done," Griffin said. "I need a team which is compatible -- and if that's not the case, I will make a change, and it's not something I will hesitate to do."