(PowerLine) The government has failed dramatically in its effort to make the swine flu vaccine widely available. We're quickly approaching the time by which this was supposed to have been accomplished, but the government is nowhere close to having accomplished it. In July the Obama administration said that 80 to 120 million doses could be ready by mid-October. But now, in late October, only about 16.5 millions doses have become available.
When a similar faiure occurred in 2004, the Democrats blamed President Bush. But I don't blame President Obama. I blame the fact that the federal government isn't very good at delivering most services in a timely manner. The stated reasons vary from case to case, but the result is generally the same.
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(Washington Post - October 17, 2004) Sen. John F. Kerry jumped on the flu-vaccine shortage yesterday with a new television ad blaming the situation on President Bush. In what may be the first presidential campaign commercial dealing with the flu, the Democratic nominee is trying to portray the vaccine squeeze as typical of the president's mishandling of health care.
Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said that Kerry had opposed a legislative remedy and that his "incredible hypocrisy just demonstrates again his willingness to say whatever will benefit him politically."
