World AIDS Day: Remembering Bush's legacy
Posted: Monday, December 01, 2008 5:44 PM by Daily Nightly Editor
By Carl Sears, NBC News producer, Washington
I was living in Greenwich Village in 1981 when the AIDS plague arrived. First you heard the stories, then it hit people you knew— like Kevin, a young gay man living, and suddenly dying, in the apartment next door. It freaked me out. I had no idea that AIDS would eventually kill 25 million people around the globe, and 8,000 are still dying every day. Each of those people had a name—like Kevin, Maisha, or Azhar. Each had their life cut short.
Today is the 20th anniversary of World AIDs Day. While we grieve the losses, we can celebrate progress in battling the disease. Today, President Bush was honored with the first "International Medal of PEACE" from the Global PEACE Coalition in recognition of his unprecedented contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases. It may seem ironic that while President Bush has taken the nation into two wars, he is receiving a medal for peace. But his constructive and compassionate commitment to fighting the scourge of AIDS is arguably one of his greatest achievements. Through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) launched in 2003, America has provided $18.8 billion in HIV/AIDS funding and Congress has authorized up to $48 billion to fight pandemic diseases over the next five years. That humanitarian commitment is working: more than 2 million lives have been saved through antiretrovirals treatment for HIV/AIDS in Africa. The U.S. has provided supporting care for more than 10 million people affected by HIV globally. As President Bush put it, "people given up for dead are now realizing there is life."
Pastor Rick Warren interviewed President Bush at the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health in Washington today, noting that faith-based organizations who provide an army of volunteers—"boots on the ground"—have been a vital part of the public-private-faith partnership in battling HIV/AIDS. President Bush said, "It's in our moral interest. We're a better nation when we save lives."
When weighing the legacy of President Bush, we must count that African mother who is alive because she is receiving treatment, and her baby born without HIV/AIDS who may one day be a friend of the United States and a leader for the world.
