What's So Bad About Drunken Astronauts?

There are two sides to every argument, right? Well, I thought maybe not every one, but I guess I'm wrong. I'll let Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer explain what I'm talking about. Today, he writes, "I rise in defense of drunken astronauts."

Why would it be OK for an astronaut to get a little lit up before launch? Think of it this way, Krauthammer writes:

Imagine it's you sitting on top of a 12-story winged tube bolted to a gigantic canister filled with 2 million liters of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Then picture your own buddies -- the "closeout crew" -- who met you at the pad, fastened your emergency chute, strapped you into your launch seat, sealed the hatch and waved smiling to you through the window. Having left you lashed to what is the largest bomb on planet Earth, they then proceed 200 feet down the elevator and drive not one, not two, but three miles away to watch as the button is pressed that lights the candle that ignites the fuel that blows you into space.

Under such circumstances, the columnist argues, "Would you not want to be a bit soused"?