Michele Bachmann was campaigning in Florida this weekend and got some attention while speaking to a roomful of her supporters when she openly suggested that the recent spate of natural disasters (Hurricane Irene and the Virgina earthquake from last week) were God’s way of trying to get politicians’ attention. She later revealed that her comment was meant to be a joke, though some are already pointing out the risky move of “attributing political motive to natural disasters.”

Trying to follow coverage of Hurricane Irene? Wonder what hurricanes are like for people who’ve never experienced ‘em before? Then consider following The New York Times‘ Brian Stelter — media guy-turned-storm chaser (for the time being) — as he livetweets the hurricane, along with pictures and video footage.

Today, President Barack Obama delivered a short address on how people can prepare themselves for the impact of Hurricane Irene.

Hurricane Irene is taking over our Twitter feeds today (or mine, anyway, given most of the people I follow are New York media types or friends in other cities who insist on mocking New York relentlessly), and, right now, it’s seems like a mix of conflicting news reports (Is everything going to be ok, or are we going to sink under a barrage of half-drowned sewer rats?), well-meaning calls to hoard canned goods and preserve small pets in salt, and jokes. Terrible jokes, great jokes, obvious jokes, and jokes indicating a worrying lack of familiarity with the lyrics of Dexys Midnight Runners.

Here are some of the best (and/or worst) hurricane Tweets I’ve noticed today. Feel free to add any you happened to think were especially hilarious or cringe-inducing.

Today’s Morning Joe featured North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue talking about how her state is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene. At the end of the interview, co-host Mike Barnicle asked the governor how state unemployment might be affected by rebuilding efforts after the storm subsides.