Russ Feingold: “I commend our President for the historic commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic that he articulated in the State…”

“I commend our President for the historic commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic that he articulated in the State of the Union address. As a 10-year member of the Senate Subcommittee on African Affairs-- and over half of those years have been as either the ranking minority member or the chairman--I have seen the terrible unfolding of the pandemic. I have read and repeated the numbing statistics that grow more horrifying every year. I have met with orphans, the sick, the dying, the mourning. I have met with doctors and nurses overwhelmed by the task before them, public health officials impassioned in their pleas for more assistance, volunteers aching for the plight of the children they care for each day. I believe that I understand the magnitude of this crisis as well as anyone can comprehend something so big and so devastating. And I also understand that what the President promised to do is a vast leap forward, a truly visionary step toward doing what is right. It is in our interest, and in the interest of global stability. But it is also simply the right thing to do, to refuse to turn away from human suffering on a grand scale, to take action, to set meaningful goals and provide the resources and the will to achieve them. This is a noble undertaking. It is a constructive and humane act at a time when, too often, we feel surrounded by the forces of destruction. The President deserves our praise. I hope that his words will be transformed into action soon.”