The key concept in your view is that the public cares about Asteroids and Comets as possible natural disasters.

I think you are wrong in this. There is no poll that I know of that proves this. I do public outreach all the time and there is no evidence from that that suggests you're right. The Moon is number one on the list of things to do with the public, but I'm sure as soon as we get there that will change.* The House has over several congresses put forward a bill which would spend more money on detection and studying NEO, etc. It has never gone anywhere with the senate and wasn't clear that if it did any of the presidents (Bush's dad, Clinton and Bush) would have signed it.

Even so I doubt they would support CAPS as a Lunar surface detection system. As Doug points out a Lunar Observatory has seriously logical flaws over orbital and land based systems which could do more for a much lower cost. We aren't living in the past, Ed. Space based assets can be made as steady as any Lunar Surface bases system and at a much lower cost.

As NOBODY says a reactor is a mandatory requirement for Mars missions this is a strawman. But reactor designs have changed since that Russian report. Whether the reactor leaks or is radioactive itself is immaterial as you wouldn't yourself visit it (robots).

Aldrin's cycler is just an architecture for transportation to and from Mars. It doesn't get you to the surface and isn't necessarily the best way to Mars right now. As it is a slow looping orbit giving you plenty of exposer to solar radiation. Radiation exposer was something you perviously thought was a deal breaker. So an Aldrin cycler shouldn't be your "best" architecture, but then you aren't exactly consistence anywhere else why start here.

Zubrin was on a team who designed Mars Direct. He has been the most vocal about lower cost Mars missions and has influenced those who make NASA's decisions, but Mars Direct is just another mission architecture. I'm not married to it like you are to CAPS.

*Magnicent Desolation opened to less than impressive audiences. Maybe word of mouth has helped since then I don't know.