LA Times: Health officials in the United States say bird flu is likely to arrive in North America this year, carried by wild birds migrating thousands of miles to their summer breeding grounds. The speed of its migration, and the vast area it has infected, has forced scientists to concede there is little that can be done to stop its spread across the globe. "We expected it to move, but not any of us thought it would move quite like this," said Dr. David Nabarro, the United Nations' coordinator on bird flu efforts. The hope was once that culling millions of chickens and ducks would contain or even eradicate the virus. Now, the strategy has shifted toward managing a disease that will probably be everywhere.

Given this administration's record of bunglings (Iraq, Katrina, prescription bill rollout, etc.), are you really that confident that they'll properly handle and be prepared for the bird flu arrival? Yeah, I didn't think so.

USA Today reports some good Iraq news: medical innovation due to war casualties/victims & constraints -- why, that's great! Let's invade Syria and Iran and who knows, a cure for cancer may be the result!

Mark Halperin on Card out, Bolten in: "While there are differences between the men to be sure, the change is likely to have as much impact on the Bush administration as the change from Dick York to Dick Sargent playing Darrin had on "Bewitched"....No Republican sources close to the White House are suggesting that Bolten's tenure will see any major shifts in the Bush agenda."

Translation: same old same old re incompetence.

I guess the MSM was covering too much bad news in Iraq to bother mentioning this little-known memo....

2,323: the number of U.S. soldiers that have died in Iraq -- why doesn't the MSM broadcast this bad news? Where's the outrage from Americans, the disgust? The number is fast approaching the figure of those killed on 9/11.

Suggestion: get a jar of pennies, 2,323 of them. Pour them out on a bed, spread them out, all around, then take a good look at them. Lots of them, right? It helps bring the number home. Imagine Lincoln's face as individual soldier faces -- or even your son(s) and/or daughter(s). Make a difference now?