Very similar to comments I made here a couple of years ago. I was roundly excoriated by other posters here for supporting a return to the moon as the way to utlimately make a manned trip to Mars. This is one of the few things George Bush and I agree on (besides agreeing that summarily withdrawal from Iraq would be as bad a decision as our decision to invade it).

We still have much to learn about surviving for long periods in space. And we know almost nothing about how to live for extended periods of time on the surfaces of other planetary bodies. A lunar return mission will allow us to develop the skills and technologies to visit other places in our solar system, including Mars. the sooner we get started the better.