You're right in the money in both your posts, Kim. The shuttle and the ISS form one of those unhealthy co-dependent relationships the psychologists talk about. They both need each other, and none of the rest of us need either one. The standard excuse is that we have "international obligations" with the ISS. Seems liked we've managed to ditch most of our other international obligations over the last half-dozen years. Why does this one matter?
One more thing. (OK, so I had too much caffeine before trying to get to bed.) Don't you love the reasoning of the people who keep these boondoggles alive? "We can't get rid of the shuttle yet - we need it to keep the ISS alive. Of course, we can't get rid of the ISS yet, either. We need it to justify the shuttle." Go figure.