World AIDS Day is an important reminder of a tragic reality: HIV continues to plague us. This past year, a record 3 million men, women, and children died of AIDS; that's about 6 people per minute. And, in the United States, infection rates are on the rise among gay men and minorities while the waiting list for life-saving drugs is growing longer by the day. On this day, we must remind the world that the AIDS epidemic is a growing epidemic.

Our hearts ache as we try to absorb the scope of the loss. In total, 25 million people have died from AIDS, and another 40 million are living with HIV. The worst part is that while there is no cure yet, AIDS is preventable and treatable. Compassion is not enough and, despite all the talk, conservative gestures have been inadequate. We need to bold, meaningful steps to solve this crisis now.

AIDS is one of the most pressing common problems the world has ever faced. It's not something than can be cured by force. Eliminating AIDS will take an international, cooperative effort, with strong leadership from the United States.

Over the last three years, the Bush Administration has squandered our moral authority. Now we must work to regain it. When America led the world for the last half century, others followed-not because we compelled them, but because we convinced them. Working together, we can do much more to help alleviate the AIDS crisis, once again, lead the world by the force of our example. Taking on global health crises like AIDS is a cornerstone of my belief in preventive engagement. AIDS is as deadly as any biological weapon; we must not sit by idly and watch it dismantle one nation after another.

The scourge of AIDS is casting its shadow around the globe-plunging much of Africa and Asia into despair, creeping across China and India, and threatening new democracies in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The poorest countries on earth have been hit the hardest. Two out of three new infections and three out of four deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. In Botswana, as much as 40 percent of the population is infected.

The status quo is a ticking time bomb. A significant portion of the developing world is facing near certain death. The young people in those societies have little hope for living a full life and the governments of those states could crumble as a result.

By destroying governments and hollowing out societies, this pandemic provides the perfect conditions for terrorist movements that thrive in areas of chaos and misery. Soldiers in sub-Saharan Africa have higher HIV prevalence rates than civilians-as high as 40-60 percent in Angola and Congo. The disease makes African armies too weak to defend their borders and perform peacekeeping duties. This ultimately puts more pressure on American soldiers, who might have to pick up the slack.

AIDS is not just a moral issue. It's a national security issue. We must make sure the scourge doesn't reverse gains in the developing world and turn developing states into terrorist breeding grounds. If we don't fight AIDS with medicine and preventive measures, one day, we might have to fight AIDS-induced disorder with the force of arms.

If America leads the way alleviating the AIDS crisis, we can reduce the animosity that often gives rise to anti-American sentiment and breeds terrorism. We can also gain more friends and partners around the world. It will be far easier to ask countries to support our concerns when they see us helping them with theirs.

There is so much that we can do to stop this scourge. Advanced treatments have turned AIDS from a death sentence to a manageable long-term condition. We know that nevirapine, a new drug, can cut in half the chance of HIV-positive mothers passing the virus along to their children. We know that education and abstinence, monogamy, and condoms can stop the spread of AIDS. Now is the time to put our knowledge to work.

The world is not doing enough. This administration is not doing enough. That's why, today I am unveiling a new Global AIDS Security Strategy.

This four-part strategy will save lives across the globe, and make the United States stronger and safer at the same time:

First, I will commit the United States to providing its share of the resources needed to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria - doubling our current commitment to $30 billion by 2008.

Second, we must dedicate the large majority of American funding to multilateral approaches to fighting lethal infectious diseases, like the Global Fund, rather than channeling the large majority of funds through government agencies.

Third, we will base our prevention and treatment efforts on the best available science, not on right-wing ideology.

And finally, we will unleash the power of the free market to develop cost-effective vaccines for AIDS and other infectious diseases by giving drug companies greater incentives to focus on developing vaccines.

The Administration's response to the national security threat of the pandemic has been inadequate, illogical, and ideological. Let me give three examples.

First, the Bush Administration has broken its promises. President Bush made a financial commitment to address global AIDS, but didn't budget for the money necessary to follow through on his promises. Plus, President Bush has yet to invest in complementary development goals - like education for girls and access to clean water - that are absolutely essential to improving health and welfare in developing countries.

Second, President Bush stiffed the Global Fund, the internationally praised mechanism for efficiently delivering AIDS and other funding to developing countries. This Administration has never met an international institution that it liked. The Global Fund is just the latest example. Health care experts and respected international auditors like KPMG give the fund high marks. Rather than reflexively opposing the Global Fund because it's multinational, we must monitor the Fund and if it continues to perform, we must work with it.

Third, because President Bush continues to take his marching orders from far-right wing groups that are more concerned with blocking women's rights than they are with fighting AIDS, this Administration has missed many chances to save lives. The global gag rule has already shut down community clinics that promote effective AIDS prevention run by groups like the Cameroon National Association for Family Welfare and the Planned Parenthood Associations in Ghana.

The fight against AIDS needs straight talk, not ideological squeamishness. It is wrong to play politics when lives are at stake. This is just as true in Africa as it is right here at home in the United States.

Beyond these steps, we must also fight one of the most dangerous aspects of the disease-its stigma. This requires leadership from the top. Even in America, too many people see those affected by HIV as outsiders. Right-wing extremists routinely scapegoat gays and others. Stigma costs lives because it discourages people from getting tested and getting help.

Stigma is among the greatest impediments to effective prevention and treatment. A president should inspire all levels of government, the private sector, and community of faith based organizations to vigorously confront the virus. The doors of my White House will always be open to people living with AIDS, so that the world will understand that they are like everyone else. We will always reach out to all people who suffer from this deadly disease, whether they live in Florida or Uganda, Tennessee or India, Oklahoma or Russia.

While we must improve access to treatment around the globe, we must also acknowledge the toll AIDS continues to take at home. In America, many people living with AIDS still have no access to treatment. Studies suggest that half of Americans living with HIV/AIDS are receiving no care or treatment for their condition. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of those in care are on waiting lists for life-saving drugs. My health care reform plan would alleviate this travesty, but in the interim we must increase support for the health care safety net and fully fund the Ryan White CARE Act.

If we don't confront the AIDS crisis, we will be ceding our role as leader of the free world. If we do confront the AIDS crisis, we can end the epidemic and make the world see that America is not just its greatest military force, but also its greatest force for good.

» Read the US AIDS policy
» Read the Global AIDS policy