Some idiot talk-show host posted an ignorant article blaming the Columbia disaster on Bill Clinton, and most Freepers are appropriately ridiculing it.

That’s what this story in the New York Daily News says, and I think that’s right.

But what interested me was a quote from Ari Fleischer:

“The President is dedicated to the mission of science and the marvels of space exploration,” spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Ari, it’s about much more than science and exploration. Didn’t you get the memo?

That’s the title of my column over at National Review this morning.

I’m amazed at how little Andrew Sullivan has to say about this weekend’s big story, and how little value there is to what he does say.

I’ll have a column on this subject tomorrow at NRO, but there’s no way (as usual) to say it better than Lileks (sorry, no permalink, he screwed up–maybe I can fix it later, but it’s good through the end of Monday…):

…we?re not sending smart toys on our behalf – we?re sending human beings, and one of them will put his boot on the sand and bring the number of worlds we?ve visited to three. And when he plants the flag he will use flesh and sinew and blood and bone to drive it into the ground. His heartbeat will hammer in his ears; his mind will spin a kaleidoscopic medley of all the things he?d thought he?d think at this moment, and he’ll grin: I had it wrong. I had no idea what it would truly be like. He?d imagined this moment as oddly private; he’d thought of himself, the red land, the flag in his hand, and he heard music, as though the moment would be fully scored when it happened. But there isn’t any music; there’s the sound of his breath and the thrum of his pulse. It seems like everyone who ever lived is standing behind him at the other end of a vast dark auditorium, waiting for the flag to stand on the ground of Mars. Then he will say something. He might stumble on a word or two, because he?s only human.

Yes. He’s only human.

I have a special Fox column up for the occasion, if there’s anyone who hasn’t gotten enough of me from my blog.

Derek Lowe, bioblogger extraordinaire, weighs in with some insightful, and sadly resigned comments (i.e., he agrees with yours truly). Also, Kevin McGehee has thoughts on the nature of astronauts, among other things.

Here’s my first entry to kick it off:

Futility

Fire in the sky
No warning or procedure
Heroes gone to rest

I’ll post the best in a couple days as they trickle in.

In addition to Instantman, you might want to check out Pathetic Earthlings for a lot of good commentary, including a more detailed critique of the Easterbrook article.

Scott Ott has the right take.