Swine Flu Fear
Day 97
April 26, 2009
"We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size of seriousness of this outbreak is going to be."
— Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security Secretary, at a White House news conference declaring a public-health emergency as a precautionary step in response to the swine flu outbreak
"Are you going to prosecute people for giving bad legal advice? ... We need a united nation, not a divided one."
—Senator John McCain, on CBS's Face the Nation, suggesting it would be a mistake to investigate the authors of the memos that provided the legal justification for waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics
The White House convenes a rare Sunday press briefing as fears grow over a worldwide swine flu outbreak that has already killed about 100 in Mexico — with countries from New Zealand to Spain reporting suspected infections and 20 confirmed cases in the U.S. so far. The government declares a public-health emergency, a move that lets states get easier access to flu tests and medication and assures that Obama is being frequently updated on the situation.
But it's the torture debate that takes center stage on the Sunday talk-show circuit, with McCain being the most vocal that it would be a mistake to investigate interrogation techniques used during the Bush Administration. Many Democrats disagree and continue to call for action.