Despite (or perhaps because of?) the recent lack of selling it on the part of the president, the public seems to support his new space plan:

More than two-thirds (68%) of the American public say they support a new plan for space exploration that would include a stepping-stone approach to return the space shuttle to flight, complete assembly of the space station, build a replacement for the shuttle, go back to the Moon and then on to Mars and beyond.

With funding for such a program expected not to exceed 1 percent of the federal budget, 42% of adults surveyed say they support the program and 26% strongly support it.

Gallup must have screwed up.

They obviously forgot to ask the question properly: "Many experts estimate that the new Bush space initiative will cost a trillion dollars, most of which will probably go to Halliburton and Enron on a no-bid contract. Do you support it, when there are so many other pressing needs, involving starving children, women and minorities, right here on earth?"

All they would have to do is mention 'Bush'.

As in:
"Do you support President Bush's space policy?"

"Do you support President Bush's space policy?"

NO!

Do I support brow-beating congressional Democrats into fearing that Bush and the Republicans will tap into a wellspring of popular support and therefore they must undertake a bi-partisan program to have America lead humanity beyond Low Earth Orbit?

YES!

See, its all in the wording. ;-)

What we need is some money thrown at the private end of space exploration. Maybe, just maybe that will happen. I am not optimistic, but with NO money for space, NONE can be given to the privateers.