Most everyone remembers Bush’s State of the Union speech about fighting AIDS, here and abroad, yes?

We have confronted, and will continue to confront, HIV/AIDS in our own country. And to meet a severe and urgent crisis abroad, tonight I propose the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — a work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa. This comprehensive plan will prevent 7 million new AIDS infections, treat at least 2 million people with life-extending drugs, and provide humane care for millions of people suffering from AIDS, and for children orphaned by AIDS.

Nice thought. Too bad he didn’t mean it.

The Bush administration and some members of Congress appear to be playing a nasty game of political football with AIDS and global health issues. In recent days, the administration has radically reduced the number of government scientists who will be permitted to attend the biennial International AIDS Conference, slashed its support for the event and its funding for an annual meeting of the Global Health Council. The reason? Aid and comfort for the policies of the religious right.

This is from Laurie Garrett’s article ‘This Nasty Game Is Scored in Lives’ in the May 30th LA Times. (For those who don’t know who Laurie Garrett is, she wrote the phenomenal book, The Coming Plague.

This administration is seemingly doing everything it can to place public health in danger, including cutting funding and staffing for the NIH.

Public health is just that–public. And research into one disease can lead to treatment for another disease entirely.

AIDS is a global threat, and failure to fight this and other diseases with all the tools available is not just foolish, but just plain wrong.