Advice On Choosing Between Interfaces, focusrite,mbox2,maudio,presonus,motu Options

[jdaawg]

I'm new to the audio recording world. I just bought a macbook and I'm looking to make some music. I would like to record guitar, keyboard, and vocals, and maybe create some rythm backing. I've been reading lots of posts on this site (and getting virtually no work done!) so I decided to present my case to the tribunal in the hope of achieving more specific results.
I've begun looking at the focusrite saffire, the Mbox2, the MAudio 410, the presonus firebox, the edirol FA-66, and the Motu ultralite. I have no allegiance to any particular recording software package, having never used any of them, and I'd like to keep it as cheap as possible.
Based on the posts I've read here, I'm pretty much discarding the Mbox2, if only because of the USB 1.
I would just get something real cheap like the tascam 122 and use garageband, but I know myself, and I will just need to go spend more money upgrading (and time selling the tascam on ebay) in a few months when I want better.
Any advice on which to buy would be appreciated.

[jdaawg]

Thanks for the info. How about software? Most of my friends talk up protools. I have no idea even who the major players are, and what applications they are typically used for. Is protools the top of the line? Is that a reason to reconsider the mbox?