President to Address Nation from Oval Office This Afternoon, Condolences to Israel PM

CBS News ^ | February 1, 2003 | John Roberts at the Whitehouse

[ewing]

President Bush will address the nation from the Oval Office on the Columbia tragedy, after calling the Prime Minister of Israel to give his condolences.

There have already been mid level diplomatic exchanges of sorrow between the two nations.

[nicmarlo]

this woman can't handle this...

Who is she? (was she if not on now?) I couldn't see t.v. for about an hour.....and now it's on, but in other room, behind dividing wall between it and my computer.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[clintonh8r]

Beautiful, inspiring speech....

[Howlin]

We'll all need medication today.

[Mo1]

Here is a link from c-span

scroll to where it says "President Bush News Conference on the Shuttle Columbia (02/01/2003)" .. and click


http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp?Cat=Current_Event&Code=Bush_Admin&ShowVidNum=6&Rot_Cat_CD=BA&Rot_HT=&Rot_WD=

[Freeper Lady]

To the stars through difficulties.

[nicmarlo]

I found Bush's last comment so moving and appropriate: "HE who names the stars also knows the names of those we mourn."

Oh, I did too......that was very moving....very comforting, and really, very loving.

[Howlin]

LOL........mhking has a thread up now!

[Mo1]

I agree also

[Carolinamom]

It was important IMO that he speak as soon as possible.....there were already some who were criticizing him for not speaking even sooner. Some people think they have to have instant gratification.

Just think: Bush had to travel to the WH, phone Sharon and speak to the families, get himself and what he was going to say together, etc. No doubt he will also be speaking again to this horrible tragedy. He is not Superman, but lately I've thinking he's coming pretty close to being him.

[nicmarlo]

I just thought of something else, Carolinamom: it was also very appropriate AND kind for President Bush to quote from the Old Testament Scriptures....being that there were two Jews on board from Israel......

[mhking]

Live Video Streams:
BBC World: http://202.174.129.100/bbc300k
BBC News 24: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/live/now2.ram
CTV NewsNet: http://ctvbroadcast.ctv.ca/ctvlivehigh.asf
WFAA/Dallas (ABC): http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=5882
KHOU/Houston (CBS): http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=206531
NBC; NASA TV; MSNBC; KXAS/Dallas: http://www.msnbc.com/m/lv/default.asp?0cv=CA01
WKMG/Orlando-Daytona Beach: http://mfile.akamai.com/7882/live/reflector:23942.ram
WSVN/Miami: http://web2.wsvn.com/video/wsvn_broadband.asx
CNN/Newsnet - Raw Video (IBSYS News Sites): http://mfile.akamai.com/7882/live/reflector:23961.ram
WHDH/Boston - http://www.whdh.com/video/
CBS News - http://cgi.cbs.com/video/video.pl?url=/broadcast/*/livenews.rm&plugin=1&proto=rtsp
StarNews India: http://www.ndtv.com/live/livevideo.asx

[TheLion]

At this time we are just speculating...maybe NASA will tell us something.

[Catspaw]

Was this the first flight that carried women since January 1986?

1. No.

2. Where do you come up with this stuff?

[nicmarlo]

Somewhere yesterday (no time to look it up now, sorry) I read a quote that said no President has been called on to give the speech of his life more times than George W. Bush (paraphrased). And he's come through every time.

I agree; and if you find that quote (later), I'd be interested in a ping from ya. Thanks.

[JennysCool]

Time to turn off CNN -- permanently -- aroud your place, methinks. The incident you describe was, indeed, disgraceful.

[Starrgaizr]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 1, 2003

President Addresses Nation on Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy
Remarks by the President on the Loss of Space Shuttle Columbia
The Cabinet Room

2:04 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country. At 9:00 a.m. this morning, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with our Space Shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris was seen falling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia is lost; there are no survivors.

On board was a crew of seven: Colonel Rick Husband; Lt. Colonel Michael Anderson; Commander Laurel Clark; Captain David Brown; Commander William McCool; Dr. Kalpana Chawla; and Ilan Ramon, a Colonel in the Israeli Air Force. These men and women assumed great risk in the service to all humanity.

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. These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more.

All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men and women who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You're not alone. Our entire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have the respect and gratitude of this country.

The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.

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.

[knak]

We'll all need medication today.

I was thinking more along the lines of some F-16's and Ac-130's.

[Carolinamom]

Good point. Bush has finely honed sensibilities. Can't imagine Gore of Bubba doing it.

[Rockitz]

Risk-wise NASA counted on a loss of 1 in 50 shuttle flights when the program was originally conceived. The risk has certainly gone down in the wake of Challenger, but we were probably overdue. It truly is rocket science.