George W. Bush's remarks on February 1st regarding the
Columbia disaster, as well as his February 4th eulogy,
cannot be examined without comparison to Ronald Reagan's
national address regarding the Challenger explosion on
the night of January 28, 1986. Although there are many
similarities between Reagan's remarks and Bush's remarks,
key differences betoken very different evaluations of the
space program.
Reagan's address begins with a factual description
of the events, which is followed by a unifying gesture: "we
share this pain with all of the people of our country." Then,
the names of the astronauts who were lost are listed. The
third paragraph attributes the cause of the space program
as a human "hunger to explore the universe and discover
its truths." The fourth paragraph reminds the audience
that going into space is not mundane, and that "we've
[too easily] grown used to the wonders of the century.
It's hard to dazzle us." The fifth paragraph specifically
addresses "schoolchildren," who are told that
space exploration "belongs to the brave" and
that "painful things" are inevitable. Then, in
the sixth paragraph Reagan underscores his commitment to
the space program and its policy of openness. Next, the
lost astronauts are compared to the explorer Sir Francis
Drake. Finally, Reagan closes his address with a very memorable
sentence: "We will never forget them, nor the last
time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for
the journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds
of earth to touch the face of God."
The overall message of Reagan's speech can be reduced
to (1) a country united in grief; (2) a human desire
for knowledge of the universe; (3) a resolute commitment
to the space program; and (4) the solace of "God." The
last line of the speech is particularly important because
outer space is aligned with divinity, a highly positive
association.
Bush's initial address is shorter, but follows a very
similar pattern. First, there is a factual description
of events, and then the names of the lost astronauts
are announced. The third paragraph, like Reagan's fourth,
reminds the audience of the unusually dangerous and remarkable
nature of space exploration: "In an age when space
flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook
the dangers of travel by rocket and the difficulties of
navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the Earth." In
the forth paragraph, Bush deploys the unifying gesture
by saying that the "entire nation grieves" with
the families of the lost. Then, just as Reagan attributed
the cause of exploration to human "hunger," so
does Bush characterize our program as an inevitable human
tendency: "Mankind is led into the darkness beyond
our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing
to understand." For this reason--not necessarily his
own commitment--"our journey in space will go on." In
the sixth paragraph the President quotes from the Bible,
a frequent move in post September 11th, 2001 speeches: "In
the words of the prophet Isaiah," Bush admonishes
the audience to ponder the "creator" of the stars.
He closes: "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."
Although Bush's address to the nation closely resembles
that of Reagan, the key differences are telling. The
themes of (1) a country united in grief; (2) a human
desire for knowledge of the universe; and (4) the solace
of "God" are
present, but the third theme of a resolute commitment to
space exploration is conspicuously absent. Although Bush
remarks the space program "will go on" many
times, this is a statement of fact, not policy. This
absence of a policy statement is intimately related to
the different ways in which the second and fourth themes
are intertwined.
First, whereas Reagan likens space to the "face
of God," Bush characterizes the earth's outer atmosphere
as "fierce" and space as "darkness." Second,
whereas the "hunger" for knowledge and exploration
is positive in Reagan's speech, Bush's characterization
of our "longing to understand" takes "mankind
. . . into darkness," a foreboding image. In the eulogy,
there is a parallel remark that is striking: "The
cause of exploration and discovery is not an option we
choose; it is a desire written in the human heart. We are
that part of creation which seeks to understand all creation.
We find the best among us and send them into unmapped darkness
. . . ." In other words, the themes of human desire
(2) and the solace of God (4) are deliberately linked,
whereas they are kept separate in Reagan's address. This
chink is unquestionably inspired by the evangelical Protestant
beliefs of Bush and his speechwriters.
The primary psychic homology forged by Bush equates
death with the "unmapped darkness" of space, an "impossible
kernel of the Real," to borrow a phrase from Slajov
Zizek. Yet Bush characterizes our curiosity about the "great
unknown" as "unchosen" and as part of our "nature" in
a negative manner. In his address he remarks that "we
can pray that all are safely home," meaning that there
is no guarantee each astronaut is with "the Creator"--a
hallmark of an evangelical Protestantism that resigns the
unsaved to an eternal hell. Moreover, Bush chooses to refer
to "God" with the less enthymematic and inclusive
term "Creator," bringing to mind the kind of
creationist beliefs that appeal to a conservative, evangelical
Protestant constituency. Another remark that is meant appease
this constituency contextualizes a comment from Laurel
Salton Clark about a hatching cocoon: "'Life,' she
said, 'continues lots of places, and life is a magical
thing.'" Such contextualization is unquestionably
a nod to a "pro-life" members of the audience.
Bush's biblical references routinely reference the
awesomeness and power of the "Creator" and the necessity
of faith for life here and hereafter. His eulogistic remark
that "in time [the grieving families] will find comfort
and the grace to see you through" is consistent with
evangelicalism, which, by definition, promises salvation
only through faith and divine grace. For this reason the
first astronaut mourned in the eulogy is Rick Husband,
who faithfully served "his Lord." The audience
is reminded that Husband's favorite hymn was "How
Great Thou Art."
Understood in the context of Bush's evangelical Protestant
beliefs, a very important difference emerges from the comparison
of his remarks to those of Reagan: For Bush, space exploration
is a Faustian bargain born of original sin. If the rhetorical
features of these two recent speeches are any measure,
I would not expect increased support for the space program
from this administration.
