You’re better than this.

If you believe that getting to Mars is a 2D project, more power to you. I believe that our getting to Mars within our lifetime involves one of two things:

* a huge win on the terror front
...or:
* as ZenMan suggests, the ESA footing the bill for the journey

There are many other facets, but these are the two you confronted from me within this thread.

As for on topic, you personally brought Dean to the board, which, like it or not, brings his candidacy-baggage as well, which needs to introduce Bush's candidacy-baggage, as Bush stands as Dean’s prime opponent, which recalls that there currently is a U.S.-led War on Terror, with a real opportunity for relative peace in a large area of the Middle East (AKA a huge win on the terror front), in which the EU appears to rather be seen as a moaning spectator than winning participant (AKA a huge loss for any manned Mars mission coming out of NASA any time soon).

I agree with Ed's stance here, but I continue that NASA, politics, war, and any government supplemented Mars mission do still go hand-in-hand. If one slows on the Mars front, they all slow on the Mars front. Large NASA missions depend entirely upon peace.

Dan