ScienceInsider:
Swine Flu: WHO "Really Very Close" to Using the P Word
So can we call it a pandemic yet? Nope, the World Health Organization said today. Although the A (H1N1) virus has now spread to 76 countries and seems to be spreading briskly in Australia, the agency still has not moved its pandemic alert scale to 6, the highest level. But at a press conference (audio, page loads slowly) today, WHO's flu chief Keiji Fukuda said that the agency is now "really very close" to calling the epidemic a pandemic. It is still working to inform countries exactly what level 6 means and avoid unnecessary panic, he said.
Panic seems to be defined as "paying attention". Maybe some "necessary" panic will help people prepare for things like school or summer camp closure if it happens locally. Ah, well. If George Bush were in charge, this would be a Friday afternoon news dump announcement.
Thomas Frank:
The depiction of the state's abortion providers as a malign power capable of "silencing" whoever opposes them might seem absurd, but it is unremarkable for Kansas conservatives, who once routinely accused Dr. Tiller and his colleagues of pulling the strings controlling the state's politics.
David Leonhardt:
There are two basic truths about the enormous deficits that the federal government will run in the coming years. The first is that President Obama’s agenda, ambitious as it may be, is responsible for only a sliver of the deficits, despite what many of his Republican critics are saying. The second is that Mr. Obama does not have a realistic plan for eliminating the deficit, despite what his advisers have suggested.
Maureen Dowd:
The fun police are patrolling Pennsylvania Avenue.
Given the serious times, the chatter goes, should Barack Obama be allowed to enjoy date night with Michelle in New York, sightseeing in Paris, golf outings in D.C., not to mention doing a promotion for Conan O’Brien and a video cameo for Stephen Colbert’s first comedy show from Iraq?
Arthur Laffer: Holy cow. People still allow me to publish articles. Well, Obama's going to ruin America's economy, even more than my work did by inspiring conservatives to get us into this mess by pushing supply side economics as a serious tool. Just sayin' you should buy my new book, The End of the World As We Know It, If We Raise Taxes. (more on Laffer curves, which are a superficial analysis of the law of diminishing returns, with an example):
Kathleen Parker:
Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska and GOP "It" girl, can warm up the Republican base like a hot toddy in a duck blind. But further inside the party organization, the air is a little nippy.
What happened? In a word, bungling.
Everyone seems to have a Sarah Palin story of ignored calls, mishandled invitations or unanswered e-mail. Disorganized is how one might charitably describe the Palin operation.
The Not Ready For Prime Time candidate still isn't ready.
Thomas Friedman:
No, in Lebanon it was the real deal, and the results were fascinating: President Barack Obama defeated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.