By 'join NASA', I meant 'to join those who boldly go'. I want to become an astronaut. Yes, it sounds childish but others have done it; if I can't, then that's one fewer 'what if' to worry about. It's not for those without talent (a PhD isn't something to take lightly). I love science, space, and engineering. I just don't know if I can compete with the other candidates (who seem to be superbeings).
I don't understand your point about politics though, would you please explain? 
However, the 'greater than myself' thing was probably a result of watching the ISS live feed for too long and not getting enough sleep. 
Doh!
-Penguin
I was nominated to the AFA by my congressman (Erlenborn, at the time) when I was a kid and was flatly told during the interview process that I could never be a fighter pilot due to flat feet, corrected vision (a big one), and allergies. Thus I pursued Aerospace Engineering and went to work at Ames doing research after grad school at Stanford. I knew some people who applied for that astronaut thing - I did not, reasoning that, if they wouldn't trust me to fly, what were the odds with a spacecraft? Of course, some of the specialists don't need to be physically uber - so that's a more likely path for you if you have any physical defects. Either way, push for what you want. You never know.
As for the politics, take a picture of this: Page 1 - CFCs cause the hole in the ozone layer, says Ames. Later, page 8 below the fold, "Ames retracts assertion." Get the pic? Most of the research programs in which I particpated were either military (the best ones) or for some Government dude with a pet project and a budget (largely worthless) - or were enviro/rehab projects we were forced to do by other regulatory agencies (mostly worthless).
