JJB Blog

http://www.then
ation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040927&s=legum

On August 11, John Kerry criticized the Bush Administration for blocking a bipa
rtisan plan to give seniors access to lower-priced prescription drugs from Cana
da. With almost 80 percent of Medicare recipients supporting Kerry’s position,
the Bush campaign was faced with the prospect of defending a politically unpopu
lar position.

That same day, … FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford said terrorist “cues
from chatter” led him to believe Al Qaeda may try to attack Americans by conta
minating imported prescription drugs. Crawford refused to provide any details t
o substantiate his claims.

Asked about Crawford’s comments, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Sec
urity was forced to concede, “We have no specific information now about any Al
Qaeda threats to our food or drug supply.” The Administration had brazenly used
Americans’ justifiable fears of a future terrorist attack to parry a routine c
riticism of its policies.

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