I'm so glad that Sasha and Malia got their swine flu shots. I just wish I had known ahead of time so I could have rushed my own kids to the White House to get theirs, too.

I don't know what effect the First Family's flu shot photo op had on the rightwing conspiracy nuts who seem to think vaccination is a nefarious government plot, but for people like me, or a friend of mine who is eight months pregnant and still hasn't been able to get vaccinated against H1N1, it is pretty cold comfort.

The shortage of H1N1 vaccine has probably motivated more people to seek the shots than the President's declaration of a public health emergency, or Health and Human Services director Kathleen Sebelius's announcement that the vaccine is safe, effective, and a good idea.

Seasonal flu shot consumption is up this year, thanks to a public that has been reminded that getting the flu in winter is lousy at the same time that doctor's offices are turning us all away, running short of every sort of flu vaccine.

My family and I ran all over town--to a local pharmacy, our family doctor, and our school, to try to get vaccinated. We managed to get everyone covered for seasonal flu, after being turned away a few times and finally pulling the kids out of school and rushing them to the doctor for what the receptionist said was a seasonal flu shot supply that would run out within a day. But the school H1N1 clinic is cancelled. Because our school was not among the first on the list to give out vaccine, no one in our family has had the vaccine for swine flu.

What sense does this make? My pregnant friend's school-aged children were vaccinated against H1N1 (their school went first), but, despite being in the top high-risk group, she can't get her vaccine.

Or how about the fact that my kids could get their pediatric doses at the doctor's office (after I pulled them out of school in that frantic 12 hour window) but my husband and I had to pay $29 to get our shots at a local pharmacy?

Another friend asked to have her toddler vaccinated and was told by her doctor that they weren't supposed to give out the vaccine yet, but since she had specially asked and her daughter was in child care, they would do it.

There's not just a shortage of flu vaccine, there is a real randomness to how it is being distributed.

Rush Limbaugh is screaming, "Screw you, Kathleen Sebelius!" on his radio show, but he has the whole issue upside down. While he is defiantly declaring he won't get his flu shot, most Americans are scrambling.

If Republicans want to make an issue out of the government actually trying to help people get vaccinated, good luck. As usual, they are way off. It turns out the public wants flu shots. It just can't get them fast enough.

And as for the evils of a government-controlled health care system: How about a public health system that makes sense?

The White House was at pains to point out that the First Daughters got their shots the normal way (sort of): their doctor ordered them through the CDC. It turns out that Washington, DC, has the highest per capita concentration of flu shots in the country, with 57 doses per 1,000 residents, according to a recent article in Forbes. If you live in Florida or Delaware or New York, where state officials were slower to order their vaccine, you got the short end of the stick.

Talk about an argument for a national health care system. Not only do certain states rank much higher than others for flu shot access, across the country, people in lower risk groups are getting shots while there are none to be had for high-risk cases like my friend who is pregnant, or our neighbors' preschooler with asthma.

Meanwhile, as doctors' offices and public health clinics in our area were running out of seasonal shots, you could still pay for a vaccine at Walgreens and other pharmacies: They bought more vaccine than some states did, and put in their orders early. Forbes reporter Rebecca Ruiz asked Jack Cantlin, vice president of pharmacy services for Walgreens, how many doses of H1N1 vaccine the company bought, but he wouldn't tell. He did say the company "is targeting areas where vaccine distribution was spotty."

That's private-sector subcontracting for you. No transparency, no accountability.

As Congress struggles over health care legislation and whether there should be a "public option" health insurance plan that states can opt out of, they should keep in mind the spottiness of this year's flu vaccine. A well regulated, properly funded national health care system would get vaccine to the people who need it the most, provide clear public information, and get people their shots in a calm, orderly fashion regardless of where they live, how fast they can get out of work and school to sprint to the doctor's office, how hard they beg, or how much they can afford to pay.