Nasa Reaching New Heights - Whitehouse

While the premise of the article is political, the reason I posted it was for this quote:

Krauthammer suggests that if China succeeds in putting astronauts on the Moon by 2025, as that country plans, they will have “overtaken” the United States. How absurd! Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon in 1969. How does China managing this feat fifty-six years later, if this happens, amount to “overtaking” us? Obviously, the United States could repeat its lunar feats of the 1960s and 1970s if that were the next most important thing to do in space exploration for the money. But it isn’t! We may well return to the lunar surface again as one of many destinations in the future, but for now, our immediate, more scientifically rewarding goals include sending astronauts to an asteroid in the 2020s, and Mars in the mid-2030s. They bring scientific and technological challenges worthy of a great nation and a true world leader.

I'll argue that Krauthammer is referring to energy devoted rather than past accomplishments. Should the Chinese return to the moon whilst we are convening panels to issue press releases about energy efficient NASA buildings, then indeed "overtaken" is correct. Bolden is just defending his sinecure and the aforementioned LEED office building.