Congress gets agency status and cash from Congress. It’s for their friends and retirement like USIP’s office on the mall.

And why should we reward this person? What has he done for the Smithsonian or the people who are paying your salaries?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_A._C%C3%B3rdova

She is qualified academically – but I have this sneaky suspiscion she was chosen more for her social beliefs (clean energy, woman’s rights, expansion of opportunity for minority groups, etc) and the image boost (first woman, youngest person to hold the post of of NASA chief scientist, hispanic (half hispanic actually, her mother was irish american, but identifies as hispanic in every article or quote about herself) than her academic prowess.

It also is perhaps important to note that she is already on the National Science Board (appointed by Bush in 08).

She would not be my first choice personally, but she is a prolific scientist and that would tie in well with the museum.