God on Our Side? What does Bush's religious talk mean? Seventeen
years ago, after seven astronauts died in the explosion of the
Space Shuttle Challenger, President Reagan told the nation's
children, "Sometimes painful things like this happen. … It's all
part of taking a chance." The future "belongs to the brave,"
said Reagan. Not until the end of his remarks, in a quotation
from poet John Gillespie Magee, did Reagan mention the divine.
The Challenger crew, he concluded, had "slipped the surly bonds
of Earth" to "touch the face of God." Today, after seven
astronauts died in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia,
President Bush, too, spoke of faith and bravery. "These men and
women assumed great risk" and showed "courage and daring," said
Bush. He quoted Isaiah's prophecy that God watches over the
stars: "Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one
of them is missing." Bush concluded, "The same Creator who names
the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn
today. … We can pray th