Surprise! Bush's sudden interest in flu prevention will make Rumsfeld stinking rich

Been wondering why Bush has suddenly become so interested in flu prevention? It's for the same reason he suddenly becomes interested in anything - to make his rich cronies even richer. In this case, it's Donald Rumsfeld who stands to gain the most, because he is part owner of the rights to a drug called Tamiflu, the most popular flu remedy in the world.

Rumsfeld's stake in the company that makes Tamiflu, Gilead Research, is estimated at between $5 million and $25 million. Escalating fears about a flu pandemic over the past six months have sent Gilead's stock from $35 to $47, making Rumsfeld at least $1 million richer.

The upshot: Rumsfeld, Bush, et al, have a very large stake not in keeping us healthy, but in keeping us scared of getting sick. Kind of like keeping us scared of terrorism...

(Thanks to Eric Dickey for the scoop.)

http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/newsmakers/fortune_rumsfeld/