I think shelving the shuttles will light a fire under Bush's feet to get CATS fast. The Chinese and the Ruskies having the only manned space program won't sit well with Bush, Congress or the American People. I like using large rocket-launched capsules immediately for the near future as Rauol was saying, but the best way to get there would be a several billion dollar x-prize to industry.

I wouldn't mind seeing the ISS frozen in its current or perhaps very near future form and not completed to original specs. It's not a space station, it's a $100B Black Hole. That kind of money INTELLIGENTLY spent could get us bases on the Moon and Mars!