Nobody believes me on this one (Heck, no one believes me on a lot of things), but it’s time for your semi-daily roundup of why I am psychic, and the new space race will be one of the, if not the most important issues out there by the 2012 election. Just a roundup of what we’ve seen so far:

• Russia plans on sending people to the Moon by 2025 and later Mars, but may skip the Moon and go straight to Mars.
• China plans on sending people to the Moon by 2025 and may join forces with Russia.
• India would like to send people to the Moon and may join forces with China.
• The US currently is planning on sending people back to the Moon by 2020.
• Barack Obama has pledged to end the US plans of sending people back to the Moon by 2020.
• In September 2010 the Space Shuttle will be retired, leaving the US without any way to get people into orbit… even to our own space space station for at least 4 years. More like 10 if Obama is elected and slashes NASA budget as he plans to.

Now we have this great news out of France:

Speaking during a visit to French Guaiana, Mr Sarkozy called for a coalition of the willing from Europe, America, Russia and beyond to explore the red planet.

“I am convinced that an exploration programme can only be global, without exclusivity or appropriation by one nation or another … Each will be able to take part with their capabilities, their strengths and their choices”, he said.

“Because Mars is there and is accessible to the technologies available to humanity, we cannot refuse to attempt this adventure”, he said during a visit to the launch site for Ariane rockets.

So if China, Russia, India and France are all involved in exploring Mars, but President Barack Obama has decided that NASA’s .05% of the national budget was too much… it seems like the US would very quickly go from leading the world in space exploration, to being on the outside looking in.

Just in time for the 2012 election.

Write it down, it’s gonna be a thing.