Mooing candidates
Washington Post Editorial:
"DEMOCRATIC presidential candidates lost no time tagging the Bush administration as soft on mad cow disease. Democratic front-runner Howard Dean announced that the discovery of an infected cow in Washington state 'raises serious concerns about the ability of this administration to protect the safety of our nation's food supply.' Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) helpfully urged President Bush 'for once not to listen to the demands of corporate America and act on behalf of the health and economic needs of all Americans.' All of this may be good politics for candidates who have to campaign in farm states such as Iowa. The trouble is that, at least at this stage, there is no particular reason to think that the regulatory systems designed to prevent an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in this country didn't function as intended.
...
"...Treating the issue as a partisan one can actually contribute to consumer panic that -- even in the absence of genuine danger -- could cause serious economic hardship. Until there is real evidence that America's effort to prevent mad cow disease has failed, rather than having worked as planned, the better part of valor -- even for presidential candidates -- is to reserve judgment."
Washington Post Editorial:
"DEMOCRATIC presidential candidates lost no time tagging the Bush administration as soft on mad cow disease. Democratic front-runner Howard Dean announced that the discovery of an infected cow in Washington state 'raises serious concerns about the ability of this administration to protect the safety of our nation's food supply.' Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) helpfully urged President Bush 'for once not to listen to the demands of corporate America and act on behalf of the health and economic needs of all Americans.' All of this may be good politics for candidates who have to campaign in farm states such as Iowa. The trouble is that, at least at this stage, there is no particular reason to think that the regulatory systems designed to prevent an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in this country didn't function as intended.
...
"...Treating the issue as a partisan one can actually contribute to consumer panic that -- even in the absence of genuine danger -- could cause serious economic hardship. Until there is real evidence that America's effort to prevent mad cow disease has failed, rather than having worked as planned, the better part of valor -- even for presidential candidates -- is to reserve judgment."
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