The space shuttle Columbia: Bummer. Bush's remarks: First he said the requisite tragedy-and-heroism stuff, then spread on the God-butter pretty thick:

In the skies today we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home. May God bless the grieving families, and may God continue to bless America.

Why is this necessary? Because the Religious Right expects him to? Because he's forever indebted to religious fundamentalists for a huge portion of his support base? Because he really believes it and doesn't mind shitting on the 200+ year secular history of the U.S. by saying such things? And why is God just a passive observer and soul-collector in this case, but "God was definitely in control" in the case of the flipped Jeep? This God fellow confuses me. He's like a rich and generous but absent-minded brother-in-law. "Phil said he was gonna lend me two grand to keep me out of the poor house! What the hell happened?" "Well, unofficially, he blew off work today and went hang-gliding, but, officially, you didn't have enough faith." "Darn. So his schizophrenia is really my fault. Now I understand."