re: You Missed The Point Entirely
"A launch vehicle capable of reaching Mars can also reach the Moon and vica versa, but Mars is more likley to maintain public support IMO along with a science mission of more intense interest."
We already have a hvy boosters capable of getting to the Moon. NASA could buy about 10 of these boosters for about a billion- that would be enough lift capacity for a lunar program to explore the Moon for water.
Building a new booster requires spending more money for development [1-5 billion dollars]. Plus the cost per lb (not including the development cost) would cost more than current boosters. Plus you are cutting into the business of the current boosters- putting them out of business, further waste the govt money already spent to developing them.