From the American People .....

There's nothing like posing with a little black baby for a bit of goodwill ... and George's PR machine picked a great one yesterday for the big announcement that PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) would be extended for another 5 years .... and the amount pledged was doubled to 30 billion dollars ....

Wow.

Apparently Laura Bush is coming to Africa next month to promote this extension of the initiative ... her favourite organisation here is the Mothers to Mothers to Be Programme (predictably - no condom education needed in this one or that would complicate matters).

As President Bush said:
“She and I share a passion .... We believe that to whom much is given, much is required.”

The current PEPFAR (2003-2007) pledged 15 billion dollars over 5 years (now closer to 18 billion) .... and aimed to put 2 million people on treatment ... in all honesty today the number of people supported on ARVs through PEPFAR is probably closer to 1 million ... but most controversially the programme has taught 61.5 million people on abstinence ....

Now don't get me wrong - this renewal of PEPFAR is truly a great and wonderful thing ... especially for an administration whose frugality in terms of development aid has contrasted massively with its spending on defence .... and also it doesn't take a cynical mind to see this is a fabulous distraction from a dismal record on climate change, iraq, human rights etc etc .... and that the whole programme has played very nicely to extend the legacy of the Christian Right ....

However there is no doubt that through this extra funding lives will be saved and that new infections averted .... additionally PEPFAR certainly has bipartisan support ... and it is a relief that George has ensured that the funding will be committed well into the next government ......

Even better - this announcement throws down the gauntlet for the next week's G8 summit ... especially to the Germans and Italians who have been less than generous so far and who might be embarrassed into action .... and it might prompt Tony Blair to make some wild promises (even if just to piss off Gordon) as a final hurrah ....

As President Bush said yesterday:
“Once again, the generosity of the American people is one of the great untold stories of our time .... Our citizens are offering comfort to millions who suffer, and restoring hope to those who feel forsaken.”

.... but if George really does want this to change the way that the world views America .... then lets just hope that somehow PEPFAR and the new son-of-PEPFAR will be run on policies based on real evidence and not ideology ...