Clinton: Government passing buck on avian flu, By MARC HUMBERT
March 3, 2006, 4:57 PM EST

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that America is not ready to handle a widespread outbreak of avian flu and that all levels of government appear to be trying to pass the buck.

"The United States is not ready to handle a potential bird-flu pandemic," she said.

"The president's strategy is underfunded and poorly constructed," the former first lady added during a visit to Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. "It is no strategy to say we're going to expect the states to handle this. And, it is no strategy to say the state is going to expect the counties to handle this."

"I don't know what the next lowest level is, but I suppose the counties could then try to pass it off to the villages, the hamlets, the towns and the cities," she said. "We need a national strategy."

Last month, state Health Commissioner Dr. Antonia Novello unveiled a bird-flu plan that would vest counties with much of the decision-making power on how to handle outbreaks.