It has begun...

I wrote a couple of days ago, musing how long it would take certain elements of political circles and their media champions to blame the potential Asian Bird Flu crisis on the President and his administration. Well, it has begun, with none other than the NY Times laying the groundwork...

Bush Plan Shows U.S. Is Not Ready for Deadly Flu
By GARDINER HARRIS

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 - A plan developed by the Bush administration to deal with any possible outbreak of pandemic flu shows that the United States is woefully unprepared for what could become the worst disaster in the nation's history.

A draft of the final plan, which has been years in the making and is expected to be released later this month, says a large outbreak that began in Asia would be likely, because of modern travel patterns, to reach the United States within "a few months or even weeks."

If such an outbreak occurred, hospitals would become overwhelmed, riots would engulf vaccination clinics, and even power and food would be in short supply, according to the plan, which was obtained by The New York Times.