I can understand the thinking in terms of Reliability Vs. Technology. But, their "workhorse" still hasn't put Russian boots on the moon.
The Soyuz rocket is not a moon rocket at all, just like the Space Transportation System too. Both are designed for low earth orbit purposes, while the STS has a major design flaw (which is a fully unprotected thermal protection system during all phases of flight). If we talk about the lunar landing programs of the 1960's, it was not the Soyuz that failed, it was the launch vehicle (the N1). And the Soyuz spacecraft is no lunar lander anyway.
For the sake of seeing the Shuttle in orbit longer than 2010 and maintaining jobs at NASA, certain people tend to critizise Ares, while they actually do not admit at the same time that the Shuttle is not in a better shape just because it is in operation, but operates under unusal circumstances meanwhile, only turned usual for being able to finish the ISS-assembly.
Soyuz is getting a second launch complex for ESA, at French Guiana, while the Shuttle already had a pretty inglorious end by STS-107. The current status is just a kind of life support measures, based on obligations of assembling the ISS.
Soyuz has survived the moon racing era, the post-moon racing era, and it survives the STS era. It is definitely a workhorse. It is even going to get an update for becoming a lunar orbiting spacecraft. The mistake NASA made in the 1970's was to through away capsule design spacecraft, while the Shuttle never became what it was designed for -> a space junk returning vehicle, capable of some hundreds of flights until 2000 while making profit instead of sucking up NASA resources and budget.
NASA is in a real hurry, not only to put Orion into earth orbit, but also to end the STS era relatively successfully on time. But even that goal is in risk. 8 ISS missions are still left and one final Hubble servicing mission. The ISS won't either be finished (which already is the case anyway, science is a minor part of the ISS sadly), or the Shuttle program gets another shot, increasing a the risk of another crew loss once more.
