I think we're on the same wavelength.
"we can design one machine best for both are the points others seem to be trying to make. Mars most likely needs access to LEO it does not need the Moon."
I too am saying that going to Mars doesn't require going to the Moon, or vice versa. What we do need for a successful program is a fairly cheap and reliable means of putting people into orbit, a heavy lift vehicle (shuttle C), a large space station in a useful orbit for assembling things, and a vehicle capable of carrying people anywhere within the inner solar system. With this basic infrastructure, any destination within the inner solar system comes within reach.