The Preamble

The Preamble

A Reason to Look Up

Artemis II gave a divided country a shared moment

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Casey Burgat
Apr 13, 2026
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For a few minutes, Americans stopped arguing.

As Artemis II slipped behind the far side of the Moon — carrying four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans have traveled in more than fifty years — the usual noise of American life receded just enough to notice something unfamiliar. Not consensus, not agreement, but a shared moment of attention that …

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A guest post by
Casey Burgat
Associate Professor at George Washington University, author of WE HOLD THESE "TRUTHS", former Congress staffer, eternal optimist, unhealthy sports fan.
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