"Despite funding uncertainty, NASA is on track to return humans to the moon by 2020 and set up a lunar outpost to serve as a springboard to explore Mars, officials said Monday.

"Our job is to build towns on the moon and eventually put tire prints on Mars," NASA's Rick Gilbrech told reporters here, one year after the US space agency unveiled an ambitious plan to site a solar-powered, manned outpost on the south pole of the moon."
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071211002619.itpq7dm2&show_article=1
Linked from Drudge

Over at Nasawatch:
Taking it to the Streets (Space That is): Problems with NASA's Return to the Moon Plan
By Dennis Wingo
"This past week has given me confirmation of something that has been a growing dread and suspicion by many of us in the space community regarding our latest return to the Moon effort. The Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) is being suffocated. It is literally having the life choked out of it."

Generally, Dennis says we lack the big picture vision and talks about using Space for Earth's
future energy needs.
I thought this was interesting:
"There must also be a place at the table to bring in entrepreneurial enterprises such as Space X, Spacehab, and space companies yet to be created. As of yet NASA is not addressing off planet resources in any meaningful way even though some of the greybeards at the NASA centers have a wealth of knowledge and passion to make this happen. If the current NASA leadership is unwilling to listen to their bosses and take the baton that has been handed to them then they need replacement, just as Lincoln and Roosevelt fired generals, until we get the leadership that is necessary to implement the vision already laid before us by our political leaders."

The problem I see with Bush's plan, is what is the next President going to. And perhaps as important what is the current Congress going to do about funding in the next year or so. Is Congress merely going to make the funding requests of President in this manner of sort of foot dragging performance, or are going to take a strong interest [thereby indicate what kind of mood they will have towards the next president's interest or lack of interest in Space exploration].

As far as what should done at the moment. I think we need to give more public voice to those people who have interest in Space exploration and who are political active and involved in "big business".
For example the guy who owns Google, hmm Larry Page. He shown interest in space exploration. Is is now Board of Trustee of X Prize Foundation:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=15932
And involved with lunar prize:
http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/press-release/google-sponsors-lunar-x-prize-to-create-a-space-race-for-a-new-generation
Put guys like this and hollywood types on some public board charged with promoting Space interests,
and working with NASA and other Space Agencies in the world. The purpose of having such a board is to provide a continum or decade long direction and coordination in matters involving Space Development.