The Democrats were asked whether prayer could avert tragedy. Some responses:
— Joseph Biden: "No, all the prayer in the world will not stop a hurricane. But prayer will give you the courage to be able to respond to the devastation that's caused in your life and with others to deal with the devastation."
— Hillary Clinton: "I don't pretend to understand the wisdom and the power of God. I do believe in prayer. ...If I had not been a praying person before I got to the White House, after having been there for just a few days I would've become one."
— Chris Dodd: "I would not want to try and second-guess the Lord's intentions here and to assume that part of his great plan includes some of these actions we see, for a variety of different reasons, here."
— John Edwards: "I prayed before my 16-year-old son died; I prayed before Elizabeth was diagnosed with cancer. I think there are some things that are beyond our control."
— Barack Obama: "We don't have the power to prevent illness in all cases, but we do have the power to make sure that every child gets a regular checkup ...We may not have the power to prevent a hurricane, but we do have the power to make sure that the levees are properly reinforced and we've got a sound emergency plan."