Well, any presidential candidate (or sitting president) who has read his Physics for future Presidents knows enough not make a fusion goal, because fusion power generation is too far away for him to be able to take credit for it before his one or two terms expire. Really, I just don’t think the political will is there for any president or congress to devote a more significant portion of the budget to fusion research. Until someone announces net gain from fusion and politicians start scrambling to see how they can take credit for the success, I don’t see the state of things changing.
