Thanks once again for this new link, Raoul. Its a real nice piece of reporting, particularly on page 2.

IN addition to my earlier comments:
http://www.habitablezone.com/space/messages/385502.html

two other items need to be noted here.

First, as far as the use of solids goes, the AF does like to keep its solid fuel production lines in operation.

Second, the SSMEs on the proposed new launchers are reusable, mounted on pods with recovery parachutes.

I suspect that everyone's lobyists are very hard at work, and that the wasting of a whole lot of everyone's time could be avoided if the Charimans announce that there will be a presentation to a meeting of a joint House/Senate committee, and that the EELV manufacturers be invited to speak at it as well as NASA.

My guess is that Griffin will have all his cost numbers and schedule for decades to come ready, and he'll have his B team's analysis ready as well.

Raoul, do you happen to have at hand the performance numbers and costs for the three core EELVs? Any price guesses for the single core EELVs?