straight to the moon! ... er, sorta
now, i'm all about sending people to mars. and the moon, too (although i really don't see the point). but:

• "NASA's space shuttle fleet would be retired as soon as construction of the International Space Station is completed" -- okay, that's a good idea.
  
• "the current timetable leaves a period several years when NASA would lack manned space capability -- hence the need to use Soyuz vehicles for flights to the station" -- um...why? why not complete the orbital space plane, especially if the plan is to use a modified osp to go to the moon?
  
• "During the remainder of its participation in space station activities, NASA's research would be redirected to sustaining humans in space. Other research programs not involving humans would be terminated or curtailed" -- again, why? this article makes it sound like all robotic solar system exploration would be dropped, including exciting missions like messenger and new horizons, and important stuff like the sun-earth connection and the hundreds of other things nasa does.
  
• "The first manned Mars expeditions would attempt to orbit the red planet in advance of landings -- much as Apollo 8 and 10 orbited the moon but did not land. The orbital flights would conduct photo reconnaissance of the Martian surface before sending landing craft, said sources familiar with the plan's details." -- except that apollo 8 and apollo 10 were three day flights, and an orbital mission to mars would take eighteen months each way! just to take some pictures? you don't need to send people all the way to mars just to take some pictures. we have plenty of robots in orbit around mars just for that purpose.
  
• "the administration will convene an unusual presidential commission to review NASA's plans as they unfold" -- again, why? this shows a complete lack of faith in nasa, and stinks of micro-managing.
  
• "Sources said Bush will direct NASA to scale back or scrap all existing programs that do not support the new effort." -- now this, i'm waiting to hear the details about. as it's written here, it makes it sound like my lab, along with a good chunk of nasa, will be shut down.