What is flags and footprints about a 1.5 year scientific mission?

It would accomplish far more than robotic missions. Robots can't rebuild themselves on the spot based on incoming data and never will in the forseeable future. People can adapt rapidly to new data and new information. People like Donna Shirley and Steven Squeyers understand the limitations of rovers and support manned missions.

Why is it so hard for people to understand that the vast majority of people who support sending people to Mars understand we did it wrong with Apollo and want to make major scientific advances with each mission to Mars and conduct missions in a manner that rapidly lead to a sustainable presence?

That said I'd like to see the MERs mass produced and sent to a lot more places. Robots are a major resource and should always be a part of space exploration even when humans start visiting the same destination. Imagine what the rovers could accomplish with real time remote piloting by humans on Mars.

Regards,
Mark