What's missing inside NASA (and lots of other organizations) is that undefineable combination of leadership and competence that characterized Apollo.
But the bigger issue has nothing to do with NASA: no amount of leadership or enthusiasm will make up for the inability for the general population to dream. Nor can it make up for the levels of unchecked cynicism so common to those in positions of influence (and they have a vested interest in keeping people from dreaming).
Kennedy said we should go into space because it's easy, but because it's hard. But he was wrong -- we should go into space because it's intrinsically worth doing. The problem is: how do you make that case? How do you vault past the cynics to get to the dreamers, and how do you avoid disappointing them through failure?
I usually come on to these threads challenging the "privatize space" folks to present a business case for their cause. I personally think "privitization" is bound to fail except in cases where government R&D has already been done, and feasibility has been demonstrated. That's why a revitalized NASA is necessary. Space does offer tremendous potential, but it likewise requires the expenditure of tremendous resources -- amounts only a government can amass -- to make it work.
I hope W's team comes out with a realistic timeline, and I hope that they start it rolling during his next administration.
The business case could be NASA itself. There's billions of aerospace spending to be had, but conventional wisdom leads contractors to provide as few launches/programs/vehicles as possible to get those billions. The problem is that those billions are very, very static.
Growth just isn't in the picture. Hence the whole thing is one stinking, stagnant swamp begging to be drained.
You don't need to recognize asteroid mining as a valid business activity, someone else has already done that. But you need to recognize private property rights in outer space, and this has not been done.
Burt Rutan would probably disagree with you.
Please note that Scaled Composites, like the other X-Prize contestants, is doing it's own R&D. Precisely because they don't have the sums to throw around that governments do, they have to find a different way--smaller, faster cheaper.
And yes, I know the X-Prize is not an orbital shot. But I expect there will be an X2, and an X3. And at every stage, I imagine, there will be one or more Burt Rutans to take up the challenge.
The vision presents the roadmap (so many haven't even bothered to read it)and it will take steady funding, not mega increases, to stay on that road. Building a spacefaring infrastructure is going to open it up all the way.