Or they might have ran their original design of STS instead of one hamstrung and made hilariously expensive due to contract with DoD

> NASA is just hamstrung by Congress and the general public

I don't think you can assert that NASA hasn't or wouldn't fall to Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy. What makes NASA special to be immune to such dysfunction?

SpaceX is a profit motivated company with large degrees of flexibility. They move fast and break ships. NASA is a research institution focused on scientific advancement and space research. They also are very rigid due to the way they receive funding. NASA cannot afford to move to a starship style system because the SLS contract was locked in.