El Mars

I guess we shouldn't talk about Mars anymore since the bad polling appears to mean that 'grand vision' is now conveniently forgotten. But for nostalgia's sake, read Gregg Easterbrook on the unmitigated silliness, on every level, of Bush's proposal:

In the days to come, any administration official who says that a Moon base could support a Mars mission is revealing himself or herself to be a total science illiterate. When you hear, "A Moon base could support a Mars mission," substitute the words, "I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about."