President Joe Biden's pledge that there will be sufficient vaccines for 300 milliom Americans by the end of summer represents a bold and politically risky response to criticism his pandemic plan lacks ambition.
If the President succeeds, Tuesday may be remembered as a key turning point in a pandemic exacerbated by the former Trump administration's disastrous response. Should he fall short, the credibility of his new presidency will take a serious hit, that would not only prolong the crisis into another fall and winter but would also hamper his ambitious program on other key issues.
In a show of presidential power six days into his term, Biden sought to galvanize the action of federal, state and local governments into the kind of unified, national effort that had up until now been lacking during this once-in-century crisis.
"To a nation waiting for action, let me be clearest on this point: Help is on the way," Biden said Tuesday, after announcing the purchase of another 200 million vaccine doses and a hike in distribution to states within days.
In some ways, Biden's pledge included some political sleight of hand, since it will not get vaccine supply anywhere near levels demanded by the states in the short-term and he admitted deaths could hit half a million next month.
"Let's say we are able to get 300 million people vaccinated by the summer, life changes dramatically and we get out of this situation we are living in where the pandemic dominates our lives," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said on CNN's "The Situation Room."
Signs that there is finally a federal government that is not in denial and has a coherent plan could give businesses, from cruise lines to restaurants, the capacity to plan ahead – a crucial factor in the recovery of the economy from its pandemic stasis.
And Biden's aggressive, daily, actions designed to combat the pandemic since taking office may also inject a sense of urgency on Capitol Hill as Republicans question the need for a rescue package that is vital to speeding up vaccinations.
