On Google’s news search early yesterday afternoon, the top story was related to Hurricane Irene, but it had nothing to do with storm damage. It was on Michele Bachmann’s quip in Florida on Sunday that the hurricane and the previous earthquake in Virginia might be signs from God that Washington needs to cut spending.

“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians,” Bachmann said. “We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here? Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we’ve got to rein in the spending.”

Bachmann’s spokesman said she was joking, and Politico noted that she was speaking in a lighthearted way, as if joking. But the comment took on a life of its own, with many in the national media and on the left using it to suggest that Bachmann is dangerously unserious.

Fair game, we suppose. But what about all the times some environmental activist or politician suggests — in dead seriousness — that a recent natural disaster was caused by global warming? There is no definitive link between warming and current storms; and the evidence that future storms will intensify because of warming is still debated. And yet the media never collectively pounce on leftist claims that recent disasters are the result of human activity, claims that are based on faith, not science. It would be a public service if that double standard ended.