I think that Katrina showed that you do need to have some plan in place in order to be able to execute, even if it doesn’t turn out the way that you expect.
Bush is now going to meet with flu vaccine makers, which is a good thing. I wondered if it was going to be a hand-out, but it turns out he was pressured into it:
The US president was also due to meet Wednesday with top aides on how to cope with potential for a global outbreak of the disease, his spokesman Scott McClellan said Thursday.
The spokesman could not say which drug companies would be on hand, but said they were US and international companies.
Democratic senators on Wednesday submitted legislation to combat bird flu, and slammed the Bush administration for what they said has been a lethargic response to preparing to fight the deadly virus.
“We need to act, because the administration has failed to prepare adequately for a flu pandemic,” said US Senator Ted Kennedy, one of four Democrats who are the main sponsors of the bill.
“The danger of a major hurricane hitting New Orleans was ignored until it was too late. We can’t make the same mistake with pandemic flu,” Kennedy said.
For the record I actually think that Bush is allowing his agenda to be influenced by a strong response from members of the opposition is also good thing, and ultimately makes me happier with him as the member of a government that shares responsibilities.