Please note the date and time that I posted those words. You won't often see them on this blog.

But Hillary Clinton is right on manned space flight, as are (as far ad I can tell) the bulk of the Republican candidates.

The major presidential candidates pummel each other daily on issues ranging from the Iraq war to health care. But when it comes to President Bush's ambitious initiative to send humans back to the moon and on to Mars, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is all but alone in staking out a formal position -- and it's one that lends support to key aspects of the president's effort.

She initially outlined the need for a "robust" human spaceflight program last month during a Washington speech on science policy, despite being broadly critical of the Bush administration's record on scientific issues.

The question of future manned space exploration took on greater prominence this week when Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made clear that he is not enamored with NASA's effort to build a new spacecraft to take astronauts to the moon and beyond.

In a position paper on education unveiled in New Hampshire, Clinton's rival advocated delaying for five years the program to build the new multibillion-dollar Constellation spacecraft and using the savings to fund a variety of education initiatives.

Asked for a response, Clinton spokesman Isaac Baker said, "Senator Clinton does not support delaying the Constellation program and intends to maintain American leadership in space exploration."

I was nine years old when last man walked on the Moon. I am now 44, and if the current schedule is followed, I will be 56 when I next see man walk on our closest neighbor. And despite having been told as a child that I should expect to see humans on Mars by now, I do not know that I will live to see that mission accomplished.

Our manned space program, quite sadly, was allowed to degenerate into a mere cargo hauling and repair service since the end of the Apollo program over 30 years ago. It is high time that we seize the initiative and resume the task of exploration. If we can do so in cooperation with the Chinese, Japanese, Russians, Indians (all currently seeking to reach the moon and possibly beyond) and Europeans, then it should be done. if not, then we still must continue to reach beyond this planet and into the rest of the Solar System -- and beyond, as the technology develops.