>Should we be doing a Manhattan project to get fusion powerplants?
All the evidence I see is that politicians are primarily concerned with enriching themselves and the people who financially support them. The moment America's position as a global leader comes is when this will happen, as long as the scientific community calls for it as they did with the atomic bomb. Right now, it appears the right incentives are not in place for politicians to put this forward, even if it is the right thing to do for the welfare of humanity and the long-term success of the US as a global leader--the politicians who could make this happen probably believe they will be dead by the time it would matter to them.
All the evidence I see is that politicians are primarily concerned with enriching themselves and the people who financially support them. The moment America's position as a global leader comes is when this will happen, as long as the scientific community calls for it as they did with the atomic bomb. Right now, it appears the right incentives are not in place for politicians to put this forward, even if it is the right thing to do for the welfare of humanity and the long-term success of the US as a global leader--the politicians who could make this happen probably believe they will be dead by the time it would matter to them.