At least President George W. Bush is being proactive.
Bush's announcement of a $7.1 billion plan to research, develop and stockpile vaccines to prepare the country for a possible flu pandemic is a preemptive approach to protecting the country.
Many scientists believe a deadly flu outbreak is one of the greatest dangers for the United States and the world. The avian flu has already killed 60 people out of 120 cases in Asia.
Last time we checked, Asia was still pretty far from the United States. The only known cases in other parts of the world have been in southern Europe.
Despite the number of cases, the avian flu is still difficult to transmit to humans.
While the proposal is a good idea, the president's timing and attention devoted to the issue is questionable.
Is a pandemic really going to happen anytime soon?
It's refreshing to see the president working to prepare for a disaster instead of scrambling to react afterwards. He's finally learning from his mistakes.
The nation was shocked at the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and the inept way the government responded in the days following.
Bush's plan takes into consideration the criticism that the government did nothing to adequately prepare for a disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina.
The flu announcement could be seen as an attempt to restore people's faith in the federal government.
Excellent. Government should try to ensure the safety of its citizens whether from terrorists, natural disasters or deadly diseases. Too bad it required a large-scale disaster to remind our leaders there are other dangers in the world besides terrorists.
But Bush's announcement to plan for a pandemic diverts people's attention away from other issues.
The president nominated Judge Samuel Alito to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Indictments within the Republican Party and Bush administration, including Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, are also in the news.
And the Senate held a rare closed session to force a continuing investigation of the causes for the war in Iraq.
These things are damaging to the presidency. Sorry, Bush, but we didn't forget.
It's important our government is aware of a potential flu pandemic and is preparing to deal with it. However, Americans shouldn't let the government's on-task attitude distract them from the other problems happening in the nation.
Although there aren't birds infecting citizens in the United States, it's nice to know Bush is concerned.
But there are plenty of controversies in the administration of which we shouldn't lose sight.
