HENHOUSE FOXES

Under the Bush administration, the safety of Americans' health is based solely on one thing: The Profit Motive.

Don't believe it? Look at a recent FDA panel's vote to keep Bextra and Vioxx off the market, despite the curious and unintended effect those drugs had on patients — the tendency to kill them.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently conducted a review of these panels and found that 10 members had ties to the drug makers.

The kicker, from AP:

The New York Times reported its own analysis in Friday editions, indicating that the 10 individuals in question voted 9-1 in favor of allowing the drugs to be sold.

Without their votes, the Times said, the result would have been 12-8 to recommend withdrawing Bextra and 14-8 to keep Vioxx off the market.