Ari Fleischer calls return of manned spaceflights to US ‘like chicken noodle soup for the soul’

Former White House press secretary and Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer told “Bill Hemmer Reports” Wednesday that the resumption of manned missions to space launching from U.S. soil shows that American space exploration is “roaring back.”

“We got used to not watching the launches out of Kazakhstan, where the Russians would launch to go up to the International Space Station,” Fleischer told host Bill Hemmer. “But now it seems as if Americans are gravitated toward this because we missed it. And it’s almost like chicken noodle soup for the soul, Bill.

“It’s just a feel good moment here. It’s kind of comfort food. This is American. We’re launching an American rocket back into space where we do our exploring. And that’s the marvel of all this. And it just feels good to see it back on American shores.”

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The former George W. Bush administration official spoke about an hour before the planned launch of the SpaceX craft meant to carry two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station was scrubbed due to inclement weather.

The next launch attempt has been set for Saturday at 3:22 p.m. EDT.

Fleischer also praised SpaceX founder Elon Musk and his associates in the private sector for their help in the renaissance of the American space program.

“You know, people can deride the billionaires all they want,” he said. “They can make fun of capitalism if they see fit. But the fact of the matter, it is such a wonderful engine that makes things happen and it lifts all boats. And that’s what we’re watching today, the lifting of a rocket, not a boat.”

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“You know, to torture a metaphor, the old adage is that the sky is the limit in America,” Fleischer added. “Isn’t that what this has proven? The sky is not the limit. We can go above the skies. And that’s what competition, that’s what capitalism, that’s what entrepreneurship all promote.

That’s why it’s great to have these people out there competing to see who can do it bigger, who can do it best, who can do it at the best, most reasonable cost. These are the innovations that make us great.”