I think its great that the President is putting some money where his mouth is. Its also good that he is compromising on his position that all aid should go to programs that promote abstinence first.
Of course, most conservative lawmakers aren't even compassionate enough to do that:
Conservatives threaten to stall Bush's AIDS plan
Quote:
"If the White House tells millions of pro-family voters that they're not interested in seriously promoting our values in the formation of U.S. policy in Africa, then that will greatly undermine the support for the White House and for the U.S. Congress" among conservatives, said Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican. "I really do believe this is a watershed vote."
Pence and other conservative House members are pushing for adoption today of amendments that would require that a third of the funding for AIDS prevention be devoted to abstinence-until-marriage counseling.
The anti-AIDS initiative "is a huge new program," said Rep. Joseph R. Pitts, the Pennsylvania Republican offering one of the amendments. "We don't want to see this become a funding mechanism for the left."
...
Another such provision omitted from the AIDS measure is a prohibition - known as "Mexico City" language, after the city where President Ronald Reagan first proposed it - on allowing any of the program's funding to go to groups that counsel abortion.
If the compromises continue, Pence said, "the word 'betrayal' will begin to be heard in the halls of the conservative movement."
The White House and House Republican leaders were working hard yesterday to drum up support for the conservatives' amendments, but Bush has let it be known that he would stand behind his proposal whether or not it emerged from Congress with strong abstinence provisions.
|