HIV/AIDS: Best President on AIDS = George W. Bush?

An interesting column from philly.com, that I think makes... well, an interesting point. Maybe not valid, especially since it doesn't take into account what the Clinton's have done since they left office, nor does it take into account that Bush hasn't really taken on any "hard" AIDS issues, like condoms in prisons... but you know, some interesting points.

Very interesting.

It is unquestionable that GOP President George W. Bush has one more to fight AIDS than any president in history, including Democrat Bill Clinton. The people pushing Bush to fight the epidemic at home and abroad are overwhelmingly conservative Christians - the same people we keep hearing gay leaders tar as narrow-minded and bigoted.

Well, those bigots deserve far more credit for relieving suffering from HIV in this decade than gay men and lesbians did in the previous two decades combined...

For years, I've been asked, "How can you be a gay Republican?" In 2008, I can answer, "Because on one of the gay community's top priorities, Republicans outshine Democrats hands down."*

It's weird and kind of backward thinking, but something that I think should spur some conversation, yes?

Kind of like Andrew Sullivan's infamous "So Sorry, Still Here" column in the Advocate a few years ago:

It’s been almost 12 years since I became infected with HIV, and I haven’t died yet. I haven’t even had the decency to get sick. I am walking, talking advertisement for why HIV seems not such a big deal to the younger generation—and indeed, many in my own age bracket. I know this is a terrible thing, and I promise in the uture to do better. As gay activist Michelangelo Signorile recently told The New York Times, “If everyone in your group is beautiful, taking steroids, barebacking, and HIV-positive, having the virus doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.”

I’m sorry. At the tender age of 41—a year longer than I once thought I would live—I have never felt better. HIV transformed my life, made me a better and braver writer, prompted me to write the first big book pushing marriage rights, got me to take better care of my health, improved my sex life, and deepened my spirituality.

Stuff to think about.

Like my comments about Confessions of a Bareback Top (NSFW) a few months ago, I have to say that I don't think these guys are entirely wrong, either.