George W. Bush and his administration cronies have finally figured out a more effective way for dealing with the American public. Instead of apologizing for mishandling and bumbling critical crises, the president is now proactively setting out to significantly lower expectations. That way, he will either achieve his goals and he can smugly tell the American people that he did what he said he would, or he will miss but the standards he set are so low that even a failure won't seem like too much of a miss.

The bird flu threat is the best example of this recent policy change. Basically, the president told us there's no way to fight a flu that doesn't exist. The bird flu isn't communicable between people yet. It will have to mutate first. And of course, until it does mutate and present itself, no one will be able to study it and develop vaccines. The president has boldly laid out a proactive plan to rank order the classes of Americans who will be able to receive the first vaccines when they eventually are needed, though. I say boldly because what he has done is told you whether or not you rate and are worth saving.

Now, what possessed him to take such a draconian stand is a mystery to me. Anyone with an ounce of sense will know that people with money will buy their vaccine, priority listings notwithstanding. Government officials make the cut, although the president wisely didn't put himself and his cronies at the top. He threw out some bones, first, like vaccinating pregnant women. Right. Like in the midst of a pandemic, health workers are going to be scouring the nation for pregnant women.

This is what will happen. The president's planners, who have proven so inept at planning everything else for the last five years, will estimate the number of pregnant women and set aside that much, while also continuing to set aside the rest of the vaccine allotments on down the priority list--at least until government officials (like presidents and vice presidents)--and set aaide those doses as well. So the president will not wait his turn; he will simply be one of the priority groups that are provided for immediately. And if there's not quite enough to reach down the list that far (even though it isn't very far at all), I'm sure the administration planners will carefully underestimate the number of people in the higher groups.

Think about it. You know that's how it is going to work.