Now, it would be easy to be cynical. It'd be easy to say, "Oh, Bush and his buddies are just trying to distract from the Libby indictment, and how Rove and maybe even Cheney might be in hot water because of the whole 'pouting-and-outing' thing they did with Valerie Plame. And the trouble with Frist. And DeLay. Hmm."
OK, let's be cynical. Because I think it's a little strange that, in the middle of all the crap surrounding his Administration and all his trusted sidekicks, Bush has pulled $7 billion out of nowhere to protect us from a flu pandemic. Which is great, except that I don't think he'd even care if he wasn't trying to use something shiny to pull everyone away from all the issues dragging down his poll standings.
Bush Outlines $7.1B Flu-Fighting Strategy
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer
WASHINGTON
President Bush outlined a $7.1 billion strategy Tuesday to prepare for the danger of a pandemic influenza outbreak, saying he wanted to stockpile enough vaccine to protect 20 million Americans against the current strain of bird flu as a first wave of protection.
In other words, Bush made a splashy announcement designed to play to people's feelings of unease and panic, which makes for a handy distraction while making it look like he's actually doing something. Double-trouble!
The president also said the United States must approve liability protection for the makers of lifesaving vaccines. He said the number of American vaccine manufacturers has plummeted because the industry has been hit with a flood of lawsuits.
Bush said no one knows when or where a deadly strain of flu will strike but "at some point we are likely to face another pandemic."
Sneaky! I'm just glad the reporter actually had the sense to get that in - because, remember, Bush has been trying to help out his pals in the pharmaceutical biz for a while now, and what better way than to freak people out to the point that they say, "Yes, please, just save us!!" Hell, just change "flu" and "pandemic" to "terrorism" and "terrorist attack" in that last quote and it starts to sound a little familiar, doesn't it?
He also said the United States was increasing stockpiles of antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu and Relenza. Such drugs cannot prevent people from catching the flu, but they can reduce the severity of the illness when taken within 48 hours of getting sick, he said.
Which is good news for ... Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, c'mon down! According to news reports, Rumsfeld owns stock in Gillead Sciences, Inc., which invented Tamiflu and continues to get annual royalties. Apparently, thanks to increased sales of the drug he already stands to make about a million bucks off his stock. He's recused himself from any decision-making about the drug, but really, so what? It seems the most important decision has already been made. The only decision left is whether he should build a Richie Rich or Scrooge McDuck-style vault to go swimmin' in. Dang, isn't there some way we can get Halliburton a piece of this pie?
Don't get me wrong. Health officials have been warning officials for some time that we're due for a devestating pandemic, and it only makes sense to be prepared. What I have a problem with is the timing; remember, officials were warned about a monster hurricane season, too.
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